To Sleep, To Dream, To Die
by abzrocks1234
Summary: "To die, to sleep/To sleep, perchance to dream." -Shakespear's Hamlet. We all saw the apocalypse coming. Some thought zombies, others thought robots. Some even thought ourselves. None of that has proven to be true, however, for a creature far worse than any zombie, robot, or human roams Earth now. Don't let your Nightmares haunt you. T for language and a dark theme.
1. Chapter 1

***clears throat***

 **HELLO READERS! I am Abby, author of the ongoing series Identical Staffs, here with ANOTHER series because I'm just a volcano of ideas!**

 **Things to know: This is in modern times, human AU, and I hope this turns out as well as IdentiStaffs.**

 **Welp, that's my intro. Hope you like!**

* * *

 _ **Prolouge**_

"JACKIE! JACKIE, FOLLOW ME!"

Jackson Overland, ten years old, mumbled from his spot on the couch. He laid face down, half-asleep. He grunted as a lightweight person threw themselves on top of his back. He rolled over, knocking the person off the couch and glaring down at her.

His little sister, Emma, glared back up at him, sitting on the ground. "Play with me!"

"I was asleep," he mumbled, closing his big brown eyes again. Emma poked and prodded at his cheeks, and he forced one eye open. She widened her eyes, staring up at him sadly. Her bedhead nest of brown hair fluffed around her head like a messy brown halo, and her bangs laid on top of her eyelids, but the puppy dog face still made its effect.

Jack chuckled, sitting up and fixing his long brown hair, tangled from his morning nap. "Well, I can't say no to that face," he joked, leaning over and brushing her hair with his fingers, trying to fix the mess. "Let's go."

"YAY!" Emma bounced off of the floor and rushed to the front door. "Mommy, we're going to play!"

"Be back in time for lunch!" the stereotypical mom voice called back, kind and happy.

This is a happy story, in case you haven't caught on yet. A ten year old with his six year old sister, off to play in the woods, while mommy stays home happily cooking and ironing and cleaning and daddy is off at work, only to return in the evening just in time to tuck his little 'uns into bed. There is nothing unhappy in this story. Welcome to your average Disney happy-ending fairytale.

At least, that's how Jack's life was _supposed_ to turn out.

"Faster, Jackie, faster!" Emma giggled, half-skipping half-sprinting around trees, to their favorite lake to play at. Well, I wouldn't say it's a lake, more like a _pond_. But a ten and a six year old in their little town don't have an advanced vocabulary. And, of course, dear readers, 'pond' is a VERY advanced word. Emma had dubbed it Frost Lake after it had frozen over and Jack and her went skating. Even when it wasn't frozen, it was Frost Lake to them.

"Let's look for fairies!" Emma giggled, running circles around Frost Lake. Quite often, Jack let Emma look for fairies, telling her stories about how they live around the pond. Emma began to pluck berries from bushes and place them on a leaf. "This is their lunch," she explained, sprinkling grass on top of it.

"Fairies are also fans of nuts," Jack said, taking a comfortable seat at the base of a large tree with low-hanging branches. One branch fell into his face, curving at the end like a crook. Like a shepherd's staff. He tugged at the branch absentmindedly, watching his sister scavenge the ground for nuts.

"Walnut!" she lifted the small orb above her head like a trophy.

"That'll be their dessert, it's big enough to feed five fairies!" Jack encouraged as she placed it on the leaf with the berries and grass.

Quick question, reader. Have you ever read a zombie apocalypse story? Seen a movie? What do you think of when I ask you to picture a beginning of those stories? At midnight, in the spooky, leafless woods? Poke-y branches that look like skeleton arms reaching for the sky? How about a giant, yellow moon, peering down at unsuspecting first victims, wandering in the spooky woods at late? Maybe a wolf howling in the background? Snapping twigs and glowing eyes peering from under the shadows?

That's what one would expect from an apocalypse story.

Except this isn't a story.

But I never said this wasn't an apocalypse.

It was late morning/early afternoon, and the sun hasn't reached its peak in the sky QUITE yet. The back of Jack and Emma's necks were peeling from small sunburn, and the Frost Lake sparkled in the sunlight. Hummingbirds fluttered by, and flowers bloomed around the pond.

It was a perfect morning. And the sun on Jack's face felt nice. And his sister woke him up from his late morning nap. He felt a yawn stretch his cheeks painfully and for just a moment, sleep took over.

It wasn't even five minutes before Jack woke up again to the same scene. The same sun rested in the same place in the sky, the same hummingbird was buzzing around the same flower by the pond. The same tiny meal for the fairies waited, uneaten by the woodland fantasy creatures.

The one thing that was different was that his sister was gone.

"Emma?" Jack called out curiously. Not worriedly, for the boy didn't know what kind of day this was, and how drastically it will change his life.

Assuming that his sister was wanting to play hide and seek, a game frequently played in the forest, Jack grinned widely. "Where could she be?" he teased aloud, pushing back branches of bushes and looking behind fat trees. "Emma?" he called playfully.

A twig snapped behind him, and Jack spun around. His messy brown hair bounced around his head, his deep brown eyes searching the forest stretching out before him. "I heard you!" he laughed, creeping forward. He could hear deep breathing, but couldn't pinpoint where it's from. "I'm getting warmer," he giggled, peering behind trees. He looked up at the sky to study to the tops of the trees, knowing that branches were common hiding places for the two Overland siblings, natural tree climbers.

"Emma?" he called out, less carefree than before. Could she have fallen into the lake? No, that's not a possibility! Bad things don't happen to Jack.

Besides, he heard twigs snap. Obviously he's not alone. And who else would be out here other than-

"JAAAAAAAAAACK!" a shriek cut through the calm forest scene. Birds suddenly rose from the trees behind Jack, shadows against the sun.

All of a sudden, Jack's heart was pounding in his ears as he spun around and sprinted as hard as he could towards the sound of the scream.

"EMMA!" Jack screamed, the girl finally in his sights. She ran towards him, holding her arms out, pouncing into an embrace. She whimpered into Jack's chest as he held her close, stroking her hair and looking around at their surroundings.

"What was it?" he hissed worriedly, deep brown eyes darting about. "Why were you screaming?"

"A...horse," Emma gasped for breath, her grasp on her brother never loosening.

"Horse?" Jack pulled out of the hug, grabbing her shoulders and furrowing his eyebrows. "Jeez, Em, I thought you were being chased by a murderer or something!"

"It was scary!" Emma's bottom lip trembled as tears welled in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry," Jack smiled as kindly as he could. His eyes wandered, and he finally noticed a pure black horse, slowly walking towards them. Jack's eyes widened, but he had no other reaction. Even in this day in age, horses were common, at least in the small country town the Overlands lived in. Jack whistled, impressed. "I don't see 'nothing to be scared of, Emma," he released his sister and slowly approached the horse. "She's a real beaut."

"Look at her eyes, Jack," Emma whispered from behind him.

"Don't be silly," Jack shook his head, slowly reaching out his hand. "You never look a horse in the eyes when you first meet it." The horse bowed it's head, nudging the little boy's hand. "See? She just wanted a friend."

"Okay, Jack," Emma's voice started to sound echo-y. Jack's eyebrows shot up. Was the heat getting to him?

"You're a nice girl, aren't you?" Jack rubbed the horses nose.

"Be careful, Jack," Emma's echo-y voice continued. "Don't let it bite you."

"Are you alright?" Jack asked, starting to turn around when the horse went to bite his hand. He quickly retracted it, stumbling and falling on his rear.

Emma giggled. "Watch out, Jack," she said in a sing-song voice. Two more horses approached on either side of the first one. Jack twisted his back to look at his little sister with surprise. Her lips were peeled back in a sinister sneer, but that's not what bothered Jack.

It was his sister's beautiful brown eyes. They were now a glowing yellow color. And not a pretty yellow, like the sun or a flower. It was a horrible golden gray, like the eclipse with her dilated pupils as the moon.

"E-Emma!" Jack gasped before turning to look at the horses. His breath hitched.

"WHERE DID THEY GO?!" he asked, staring at the now-empty space before him. "T-There were just three."

"On their way home," Emma answered, walking towards her sitting brother. "Or they'll be late for lunch."

 _"Be back in time for lunch!"_ his mother's voice echoed in his head. Jack's big brown eyes widened with fear.

"Let's go home," he quickly stated, unsure of what to do in this situation. With his perfect life, things like a scary sister were never taught in school. "We'll be late. Mom wants us home in time for lunch."

"I don't think she'll care," Emma's voice echoed.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your sis-"

"NO! Emma doesn't have those eyes!" Jack scrambled to his feet, backing up against the tree. The same tree he fell asleep under just moments ago. The same branch with the curved end hanging low, right by his shoulder.

"She does now," she reached out for Jack, and he gasped. Her hand was dripping with blood, mangled and broken. She was bit. By the horse. And when she grinned, all of her teeth were as sharp as a vampire's fangs. "COME HERE!" she hissed, lunging for him.

He yelped as her teeth latched onto his left hand. He tripped and swung, causing Emma to smash against the tree and release his hand. He stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding hand.

"YOU BIT ME!" he gasped.

"Time to turn, Jackie," she hissed, crouching and looking ready to pounce again. "Join us."

But nothing happened. Well, except for the blood gushing out of his hand. He didn't turn into a sharp-toothed, yellow-eyed demon like the one in front of him.

Instead, he followed his instincts and grabbed the hanging branch, the one that curved at the end, and brought it down on the girl's head.

There was a terrible CRACK, and the girl fell backwards, into the Frost Lake with a SPLASH! Jack held the giant branch in his arms, hugging it. He realized his own, ten-year-old strength (or lack thereof) and quickly let the end of the branch land on the ground, still hugging it to himself. It was much taller than the short little boy, curving over his head like a too-big shepherd's staff. Blood dripped down its wood as the adrenaline lowered and the pain in Jack's hand finally showed.

"AHHHH!" he screeched, falling to his knees and dropping the giant branch, clutching his bleeding hand to his chest. The red blood flowed down his brown shirt as tears flowed down his cheeks.

"EMMA!" he screamed to the lake, crawling over and looking down into it. "EMMA! EMMA!"

 _Don't be ridiculous,_ a voice in his head scolded. _That wasn't your sister. It COULDN'T have been. That would mean that-_

Jack, unwilling to let the sentence finish, scrambled to his feet and grabbed his weapon, the giant staff. He rushed back to his house, the branch dragging behind him in the dirt. It was hard to carry for the boy, but it was all he had to fight off those horses and protect his mom and, hopefully, his little sister (assuming she's safe at home).

"MOM!" he called, knocking on the door before entering. "Mom! Do you see any horses?"

"Horses, dear?" the kind voice came from a few rooms down. "No, of course not. There was a bird, though."

"A bird?" Jack whispered as his mother walked in with a broom, eyes wandering.

"A little black one. I can't seem to find where it went though. Won't you help me look?"

Jack nodded but then realized that his mother never questioned the gushing blood from his hand, or the large branch, or the absence of his sister. "Mom, can I see your eyes?"

"Help me look for the bird, dear," was his mother's response, her back to him.

"Mom," he said as strictly as a little boy could to his mommy. "Let me see your eyes."

The woman slowed down, lowering her broom. She turned her head slightly, not enough for Jack to be able to see her eyes. However, he was able to see the snarling smile of sharpened fangs.

"No..."Jack's good hand tightened around his branch. It weighed him down as he backed up.

His mother turned all the way around, revealing teeth marks on her forehead, and eclipse-like eyes that Jack's demon-sister had. His mom giggled, twisting her head at an unnatural angle and staring down at her son.

"You were bit," she giggled.

"You're not my mom!" Jack yelled.

"Oh?" the woman lunged for him, and his instincts popped in again, giving him just enough strength for the moment to lift his mighty staff and bring it down on the monster's head. Unlike his sister's little body, his mother just fell against the wall. Blood dripped down her forehead, but her fearsome smile never faltered.

"Remember this, boy," she hissed, giggling wildly. "You killed your sister and your mother." She grabbed the kitchen knife and pointed it at him, licking the blood from her lips as it dripped down from the top of her head. "The sand will be back for you."

"Mom! MOMMY?!" Jack backed up, dragging his staff.

"Your eyes," she slid the knife across the room so the blunt end hit Jack's worn boot harmlessly. Jack picked it up and gasped at his reflection.

Two bright blue eyes, replacing his brown ones, stared right back at him.

He gasped, dropping the knife and staring up at his mother as she wiped the blood from her forehead and fainted.

Terrified, the little boy ran, forgetting to drop the slowing staff.

It wasn't a dark and stormy night when the apocalypse came. The moon wasn't a glowing yellow, there weren't any glowing eyes in the shadows of spooky trees. It was a sunny summer morning, and it came with no warning. It hit everywhere in the world at once. The army, the government, the people were not ready.

Just a regular day.

On the regular day, Jack Overland ran, his blue eyes turning back to brown as the blood from his hand began to subside.

* * *

 **So that's the prologue! What do you guys think? Please review, so I know what you guys want and can make myself better n.n**

 **Also, check out Identical Staffs! It's my other series.**

 **Thanks for reading, guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

Snow fell, as calmly as snow can, dancing in the air and sparkling in the sunlight. Cool breezes brushed through the small town of Burgess, and newly fallen snow without a single footprint spread across the town, perfect packing snow for making snowmen. It was the perfect day for a snow day.

If they had school anymore.

Now, reader, if you would just follow me through the spotless snow, we would we would eventually come upon a trail of what looked like two bare human feet. Who would be barefoot in this snow?! That detail is beside the point. If we followed the tracks and studied them carefully, we would take note of the heel parts being lighter than the top parts of the footprints. We can infer from this that the person was running.

Then, the footprints disappeared at the base of a tree.

The black wolf slowed to a stop, curiously looking around. It sniffed at the footprints, yellow eyes gleaming in the sunlight, before looking back at the man that had been following it. The man stared ahead with a dead look in his terrible yellow eyes. Blood dripped from his leg into the snow from what looked like a nasty wolf bite.

Oh, one quick tip, reader. Avoid pure black animals with yellow eyes.

The wolf growled, sniffing the base of the tree, before looking up.

"Looks like I've been caught," a cocky young voice snickered from high in the tree's branches. Suddenly, the figure of a boy no older than fourteen fell from the tree, bringing down a mighty staff that he wields much easier now than he did when he was ten.

The wolf whimpered, skidding across the snowbanks. The man stumbled forward, baring his fang-like teeth. The boy shoved the butt of his staff into the man's mouth, causing him to gag and cough up blood.

"Gross, you're making it all dirty," the boy teased, pulling the staff out of his mouth and bashing the man's head. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless, and the boy twirled his staff proudly, slinging it over his shoulders. His brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

The wolf rose to its feet, growling. The boy instinctively kicked snow into it's yellow eyes. It growled, shaking its head and stumbling backwards while the boy lifted his staff over his head, hitting an icicle that hung above them in the tree.

The icicle fell like an ice arrow and found it's way into the black wolf's head. The ice was splatter-painted with red blood, and, with a final whimper, the wolf fell.

Jack Overland, solo apocalypse survivor, proudly sauntered away from the now harmless danger.

A man, whom Jack had not noticed, hid behind a tree, watching him with tired, colorless eyes. Those old eyes hid under a pure white, emotionless mask, hiding the man's identity.

* * *

His name is Aster. E. Aster Bunnymund, a follower of the man in the mask. In fact, the masked man was the leader of a certain group of soldiers, a Special Ops squad dubbed The Guardians. The Guardians were leaders of other Special Ops squads, assigned to different continents. Aster's original continent was Austrailia, his home, but later he was also made in charge of the Africa's defense squads.

Aster was, to say quite simply, a ninja. He was an Austrailian man with a muscular build and a short, dusty brown ponytail that barely reached his shoulder blades. His jaw was lined with manly stubble, and his tan bare chest was covered with tattoos. The only color on his otherwise dusty exterior were his brilliant green eyes, flashing through his sandy tundra of a body.

He was equipped with many combatants, like small swords, throwing knives, ninja stars, smoke bombs, and -his favorite- boomerangs. Naturally, one would be terrified of Aster.

But not once they hear his nickname, Bunny.

His other friends in The Guardians team said it was because of his 'agile fighting style' and his 'unnatural hearing and instincts'. Honestly, he knew it was just because of his (GOD AWFUL) last name.

Bunny wandered the cold streets of Philidelphia, a city in Pennsylvania not too far from suburban Burgess. He worried about the frostbite he will undoubtedly suffer from, and debated over getting a shirt.

"Damn Americas," he mumbled to himself, wrapping his muscular arms around his torso. He had just flown into Philidelphia (privately, of course) and didn't expect it to be THIS cold.

"Where's that gumby at, anyway?" he grumbled in an annoyed Austrailian accent. He had flown all the way up here expecting to meet the man in the mask! It was important, according to the message he left.

"Bunny," a gruff voice mumbled. Bunny quickly hopped in the air (quite like his name) and spun around, eyes resting on the man in the white mask.

"I told ya, mate, the name's Aster."

The gray eyes behind the mask sparkled with amusement, and he was most likely smiling under the mask. "I missed those eyes, Aster," he said. "It's a good way to tell if you've been bit or not."

"Obviously, I haven't," Bunny rolled his eyes. He was never a fan of his big green eyes. He was the spitting image of a rough-and-tumble outback ranger! Dusty and tough and proud. His looks alone were enough to strike fear in anyone's heart.

Unless, of course, you look into his eyes. They (unconsciously) sparkled with childlike curiosity and were filled with hope. He thought his eyes were embarrassing, too childlike and feminine for his taste.

"Why was I called here, mate?" Bunny asked when the man didn't react. "Were the rest called in as well?"

"Yes, of course, we've all met in my office," the man in the mask said. "Only two of you have arrived, so I'm afraid I won't be able to explain things fully until they all have arrived."

"Well, who is here?"

* * *

Her name was...well, it was many things. Let's start with her looks, shall we?

She was a dark-skinned girl from South East Asia. Indonesia, or maybe the Phillippines? She had fairly small chocolate brown eyes and shoulder length dark brown hair. To give her brown appearance more color, she has speckled her hair with colored braids, beads, feathers, any hair decoration you can possibly find. On her body, she wore a crisp, clean white dentist's coat. Yes, she used to be a dentist, specifically one for the army, before the man in the mask asked her to join the Guardians. That might have something to do with how she earned _her_ nickname (which she is much more fond of than Bunny of his).

Most called her Tooth. Could it be her pristine dentist coat? Could it be her sparkling teeth? Obsession with oral health? Or maybe, just maybe, was it the fact that she can shoot out someone's tooth from a large distance, like Annie Oakley?

Actually, her full nickname was the Tooth Fairy, and for a very good reason. Her ability to 'fly' was unbelievable, wielding a gun in one hand and a grappling hook in the other, she was unstoppable, swinging like Spiderman through the city. But 'Tooth Fairy' was a mouthful, so it was promptly shortened to just Tooth.

She claims her Asian name is too hard to pronounce, so we just try not to question it.

She calmly sat in a chair in the man in the mask's office, holding her phone to her ear and speaking rapidly to her 'little helpers' back in Asia. She tugged habitually at a colored braid in her hair as she spoke, commanding orders. Asia was a very big, very busy continent, and thus very infested with yellow eyes. And, as the Guardian of that continent, it was her job to try and fix the infestation.

"Tooth!" Bunny yelled, bounding into the room.

"I got to go, bye," she said into the phone before hanging up and hopping out of her chair to tackle Bunny in a huge embrace.

"BUNNY!"

Hey, even though they were military teammates, doesn't mean they couldn't be friends.

"It's great to see you again, sheila," Bunny pulled out of the hug and fixed a few out-of-place feathers in her hair.

"You too. Get a shirt, it's cold in America," Tooth scolded.

"I'll go get you one, Bunny," the masked man said, wandering out of the room.

"It's Aster!" Bunny called after him, knowing that his correction won't make a difference.

"The others should be here soon," Tooth explained. "I was the first to get here."

"Naturally," Bunny joked, poking fun at Tooth's impeccable time management.

"I'm not exactly why we were all called to America on such short notice," Tooth pondered aloud, scratching the back of her neck.

The Guardians held meetings every few months, rotating through all the different continents, but other than those meetings and their routine calls, they hardly see each other. It must be very important.

The man in the mask came back into the room, tossing Bunny the shirt. "I hope it fits."

It was a plain, navy blue shirt, but it looked like it would be a little tight. Regardless, Bunny slipped it over his tattoos and it was decent enough.

"Thanks," Bunny said. "Now, mind telling me why we're he-?"

The door slammed open.

* * *

His name is Nicholas Saint North. He usually just goes by his last name, North.

He was the Guardian that covered all of Europe and Russia (to take some of Asia off of Tooth's hands). He led two types of armies; the Yetis and the E.L.V.E.S.

The Yetis were probably the toughest of the tough. The 'green berets' of the Guardian troops. They were posted in Russia, fighting freezing winters and crazy yellow eyes.

The E.L.V.E.S. are the European division. The European Labor Vacuous Enlisted Squad. Yes, North knows that the 'vacuous' part is mean, but trust me when I say that the E.L.V.E.S are too dumb to notice. They are European, after all. (I mean no offence to European readers, I just couldn't resist the joke!)

North was a large man, but majority of it was muscle. He was like a scary Santa Claus, with a long white beard that covered his mouth and a red jacket, heavy enough for the cold northern parts of Russia, from which he just flew in. He sauntered into the office and a smile rippled under his beard when he saw-

"TOOTH! BUNNY!" he held out his arms, letting his jacket fall and reveal two tattoos on either forearm.

"North! It's nice to see you!" Tooth ran over to hug the man. Unlike her pouncing embrace she gave Bunny, she had to go slowly, trying to wrap her small arms around the big man.

"Good ta see ya, mate," Bunny slapped his back with a grin. "But it's Aster."

"Whatever," North said in a very heavy Russian accent, waving his hand dismissively, letting another one of Bunny's name corrections go unheeded. "Sir, is there a reason you called us here?"

"We must wait for the last Guardian, North," the man in the mask said.

"Last Guardian?" North looked around to make sure he counted correctly. One, him, two, Tooth, three, Bunny. "Aren't there two more?"

"The Guardian of South America will not be joining us today," the man in the mask explained, sitting in a large chair (the spinny kind with wheels, the best kind of chair).

 _As usual,_ Bunny thought with annoyance. "And North America?" he asked gruffly. "He has no excuse for being late!"

"He should be here soon," the man in the mask said. "Just be patient, you know he can be quite busy."

* * *

His name was Sanderson. I know, I know, it's a terrible name, but he doesn't hate his nickname, 'Sandy', as much as Bunny does. He doesn't say anything against it.

Actually, he doesn't say anything at all. He is mute. At least, most believe so. He's never said -or, signed- otherwise.

He communicates to his fellow Guardians through sign language, which makes it hard for him to command the North American troops. But he manages to anyway. He's the Guardian of North America.

And he was the last one to land in Philidelphia from his home, New York. He was quite busy, and found himself procrastinating a lot.

But the silent man made his presence known as he slammed the door open.

"He's here!" Tooth cheered.

"About time. You live on this continent, mate, it shouldn't take so long!" Bunny scolded.

"Velcome, Sandy. Now we can get started."

Sandy's hands moved slowly, as the Guardians weren't as fluent in sign language as he was. **Where's South America?**

"That Guardian will not be joining us," the man in the mask said from his large chair. "Now please, all of you, sit."

And they took their seats. Tooth, the Guardian of Asia, sat down and crossed her legs in a wooden chair. Sandy, Guardian of North America, picked the big armchair behind them, always preferring comfort. North, Guardian of Europe and the Russian parts of Asia, sat in a larger wooden chair, needing one for his giant body. E. Aster Bunnymund, the grumpy Guardian of Austrailia and Africa, decided to stubbornly remain standing, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

And so, reader, you know four of the five Guardians, along with their unidentifiable leader. Now, I suppose you are wonder; who is the Guardian of South America? Who is their leader? Why were they all called into Philidelphia? What is important about the bites of black animals, or of humans with yellow eyes? What does the young Jackson Overland have to do with anything?

Well, dear reader, it looks like you'll just have to wait and see. Patience is a virtuous thing, and all answers come with time.

* * *

 **Hi guys! It's nice to see your reviews! Thanks for reading my new story guys. It's pretty different than IdentiStaffs, at least the whole premise is, but I hope you'll like it as much as the other!**

 **Dragongirl:** All of them will be here! Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this one.

 **theawesomest5:** You're pretty close! Dang you're good at predicting these things. Thanks for reviewing!

 **CrazyCrapInc:** Thanks! It means a lot n.n I hope you keep liking it.

 **Ancient-Light:** Thanks! Jack's on a mission ;) but you'll have to wait and see what it is. And don't worry, blood will be shed and battles shall be had.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, readers. I have a question.

Have you ever met that person who nobody seems to like? But that person has the perfect life? They're absolute pricks, but power and fame and money is handed to them on a silver platter? They're total douchebags but they're talented (and kinda power hungry and attention hogs)? Everything goes right for them EVERY. SINGLE. FUCKING. TIME-excuse me, I got a little carried away.

 _Completely_ unrelated, let's see what that last Guardian is up to!

The Guardian of South America was busy at the moment. Sure, he didn't have one of the rougher continents, like the General Nicholas Saint North or the dentist Tooth, but he found himself in busy situations quite easily.

The Guardian of South America was a great soldier. No, he was no Sanderson, but he could easily run for the second best of the Guardians. Not many people knew his name, so he often went by his title, the General.

"Sir! The meeting in North America started a little while ago, sir!" the Lieutenant saluted.

The General was deep in thought. "It's a shame I had to miss. While I do hate those kinds of meetings, if it was this such short notice, then it must have been important." The General turned to the Lieutenant. "When do my appointments end this week?"

"Wednesday, sir."

"Any appointments next week?"

"Not as of yet, sir!"

"Keep next week open," the General rose from his chair, placing his hands on his desk before walking around to the front and leaning back on it. "I would like to go to the meeting as soon as possible. Where did you say it was again? Pennsylvania?"

"Yes, sir. Philidelphia, to be specific."

The General rubbed the stubble on his chin in thought (reminding himself that he needed to shave). "What a peculiar place. Don't we have someone over in that state?"

"Um..." the Lieutenant cleared his throat and began to shuffle through the file in his arms. "Yes, sir. His name is Jackson Overland, from Burgess. He was ten when we first started observing, and he is fourteen now, sir. He is unaware of the surveillance, sir."

"Oh yes, that kid," the General nodded, remembering. "Where is he now? What part of the state?"

The Lieutenant shuffled some more. "Our latest observations show that he is still looking for his father, sir. The father was at work and went missing soon after the apocalypse started. It is still unknown whether he is alive or not, sir."

"WHERE is he now?" the General raised his voice.

The Lieutenant jumped, eyes dancing over the paper nervously. "Philidelphia, sir."

"How...coincidental," the General murmured, though he had a feeling that it wasn't as ironic as he presumed. "I'm headed to America in two days, then. Notify the man in the mask."

"Yes, sir!" the Lieutenant saluted.

The General tilted his head to the left, his eyes falling on the globe on his desk. "Jackson Overland," he tested the name out on his lips, reaching over and pushing the globe so it spun in circles.

* * *

"Alright, well?!" Bunny groaned, getting annoyed.

The man in the mask chuckled. "Patience is a virtue, Bunny."

"It's _Aster_ ," the poor Austrailian man said desperately, knowing that no one will be listening to his corrections.

"I suppose it's time to explain," the man in the mask leaned back in his chair, finally getting to his point. "The reason I've called you all here is because we are on the search for someone."

"Someone?" Tooth questioned.

"You brought us here because of a _manhunt_?!" Bunny gasped with disbelief. "You DO realize that we have jobs? Mighty important ones! We don't have time for-"

"Shush, Bunny," Tooth put her hand on his bicep before looking back at their boss. "This man must be important, if you had to call all of us out here."

"Indeed he is," the man in the mask nodded to Tooth. "He was an old friend of mine, in fact. It seems that he's being surveyed by a strange organization."

"What organization?" North asked.

The man in the mask leaned over his desk, resting his chin on his fists. "Take a wild guess."

Groans rippled through his audience. Sandy's shoulders dropped.

"You've gotta be pullin' my ear..." Bunny let his head fall into his hands.

"Not B.L.A.C.C!" Tooth moaned.

At this point, you're probably asking 'what's B.L.A.C.C.?'. And that, dear reader, is a great question! It sounds like a pretty dark organization, seeing as the acronym almost spells 'black'.

It was actually a military organization, at least at first. Not an international one, like the Guardians, it was (naturally) an American organization. But, like all great American things, it went bad. (No offense to American readers ((I am one myself)) but I needed to make up for the European comment from before)

B.L.A.C.C, or the Beneficial Labor Aptitude Conservation Company, was created when the military realized just how confusing America was getting. Citizens were losing their motivation to work and therefore products were slow. Numbers of people willingly joining the army were dwindling. Stable electric systems to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology weren't being created. In other words; America was going to sleep itself into death.

B.L.A.C.C. would search out talented members of society; geniuses, prodigies, and the like. They would then observe and hire those people to come work for them, as to keep America running. Owners of big-wig companies or senators or even the president! B.L.A.C.C. would scrounge the continent and train these people to be the life preserver that keeps America from drowning.

However, having all the leaders of America train under one company proved to be a bad idea as the corporate world and the government, not to mention countless journalists and newscasters, began to show signs of corruption. The government refused to keep funding the program, but it secretly fell onto the shoulders of one man.

A man with the alias "The Boogeyman".

Comforting thought, right?

"So this guy," North leaned forward with interest. "He is genius, no?"

"Actually, no. Not that I know of, at least," the man in the mask said.

"WAIT!" Bunny interrupted (loudly, per the norm). "Why does B.L.A.C.C. care about him if he's not a genius?"

"It's because of his father, Bunny," the man in the mask answered. "We're talking about Thomas Overland's son, Jackson."

"THOMAS OVERLAND?!" Tooth jumped out of her chair. " _THE_ THOMAS OVERLAND?!"

"CREATOR-OF-THE-GUARDIANS THOMAS OVERLAND?!" Bunny yelled.

"THAT THOMAS OVERLAND?!" Tooth added for effect.

The man laughed behind his mask. "Yes, that Thomas Overland."

"But he's been missing for four years!" North said. "I didn't even know he had a son!"

"Naturally, his family didn't know about us, either," the masked man shrugged. "He's been keeping it a secret. So I have no idea how B.L.A.C.C. found out about him."

"So we gotta find this...Jackson Overland kid?" Bunny asked.

"Yes, we have to find him," the masked man nodded. "Before B.L.A.C.C. does."

* * *

And here Jack Overland was now, ducking through alleyways and praying not to run into any more black animals or yellow eyes. He probably should find some shelter soon -an abandoned apartment, maybe?- but he felt that he was too close to stop now.

After four years of digging, of finding dad's friends and ransacking his old house, he finally found his place of work.

Give the boy a break! He lost his whole family when he was ten, so he didn't know where his dad worked nor was ever able to find out. So, at twelve years old and finally maturing, he realized he would need to search the house for some clues on where his dad worked. He called up a few of his dad's old friends -the ones who had survived so far- but none had exact answers for him. A few mentioned that he was in the military in the past, but none knew the exact office his dad worked at now. That could be found as very suspicious.

But by shuffling through his dad's office back at home, he found a keycard-

 **Thomas Overland**

 **Rising Novels**

 **1300, Lawn Crest, Philidelphia, PA**

The keycard now hid in the pocket of the boy's blue sweatshirt. He managed to weasel his way through the city to the tall building labeled Rising Novels. Jack grinned excitedly. He knew his dad had a perfect, normal job as a publicist!

Conveniently, the door was unlocked, and Jack made his way inside. The lobby was abandoned, so Jack began to study the empty front desk. He checked the chart and searched for his dad's name.

 **Thomas Overland: In: 10:04 AM August 11, 2011 Out:**

Jack let out the breath he was holding, hissing through clenched teeth. That date was four years ago. The day the apocalypse started, and his father never checked out.

He went to a list posted on the wall and searched for his father's name. His office was on the top floor.

Jack began to walk briskly towards the elevator, praying under his breath that it still worked. He pressed the up arrow button and the door opened with a DING! Luckily, someone has been paying the bills! He sighed with relief, looking over his shoulder one last time before walking in.

The elevator glided up the building, and Jack took the time to look around. After four years, cobwebs have started to grow, and the buttons were gray under a layer of dust. He heard something shuffling and quickly spun around, searching the elevator.

 _This elevator is barely bigger than you, Jack,_ he attempted to comfort himself. _You would have known if something were in here._

A small squeak interrupted his thoughts, and he looked down to see a small black mouse. It tilted its head up, whiskers twitching.

Jack stared into its beady yellow eyes and gasped, trying to stab at it with his staff.

The mouse began to run around, dodging the staff while aiming for Jack's bare feet. "Remind me to get shoes!" Jack yelled, swinging the staff. He shoved himself into the corner of the elevator, screeching as the mouse bit down on his foot. He brought his staff down and, with a CRUNCH, broke the mouse's back.

The door slid open with a ding. Jack quickly ripped the dead mouse from his bleeding foot and chucked it out the door, tripping and stumbling out as well, falling to his knees. The doors slid shut behind him.

Jack anxiously rolled onto his rear end, studying his bleeding foot. He covered the wound with his hands, blood seeping through his fingers.

"Ah! AH!" he hissed, doubling over in pain. "It's okay," he muttered to himself. "Maybe it was just a regular mouse. WITH YELLOW EYES?! GAH!" he resisted the urge to roll around, clutching his foot in pain. Instead, he looked up to see his reflection in the metal doors of the elevator.

Two bright blue eyes stared back at him.

"NO!" he slapped his bloodstained hand over his eyes, turning away from the elevator. "It's not real, it's not real!" he yelled at himself before glancing back at the elevator.

The last of the blue drained from Jack's eyes, leaving them their natural brown once again.

The bleeding from his foot stopped.

Jack scrubbed at his eyelids and then looked down at his hand, scarred from his sister's bite four years ago. Bringing up bad memories, Jack shoved his hand into his pocket and looked up at his reflection again.

A woman stood behind him, a while away down the hall.

"AUGH!" Jack leaped into the air with surprise, grabbing his staff. He studied her pencil skirt and blazer and guessed that she worked here. He leaned onto his staff, clutching his chest and panting.

"Whew!" he chuckled with relief. "You scared me, lady!" He looked back up at her, chuckling. "My name's Jack Overland, my dad works here," he called out as she began to walk closer. "Would you happen to know if Thomas Overland is still here?"

The lady's lips pulled back into a sneer, and her footsteps quickened. Her teeth glinted in sunlight through the window, as sharp as fangs. She stared at Jack hungrily with yellow eyes.

"Shit," Jack hissed, limping away on his staff. His foot still burned from his mouse bite, but he hadn't turned yet. This has happened over the last four years, but he never knew why he wouldn't turn.

He didn't know how many more bites it would take until he did.

But he did know that if this lady got a hold of him and couldn't make him turn, then she would kill him.

* * *

 **That's all for now! Sorry it's been taking a while to update!**

 **Theawesomest5:** Yeah those are very good odds! I hope this story ends up pretty plot-twisty and not cliche :)

 **Misaikoneho:** I'm glad you like it! Those are all very good guesses I just you're going to have to wait and find out ;) Yep the mom and sister are dead but the dad is MISSING~ ooooh~

 **Dragongirl:** Nope, I can tell you for sure it's not Jack. However it is still a surprise but good guesses you'll just have to wait and see if you're right ;) Thanks for liking it!

 **CrazyCrapInc:** I'm happy to have made you like "WHOA!" I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reading.

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

Jack limped through the hallway, pushing almost all of his weight on his staff. The woman was quickly catching up behind him, and Jack's breath grew ragged. Pain shot up from his foot up his calf and he grimaced, nearly collapsing. Out of the corner of his eye, on the right side, an approaching door was labelled with a name tag that stuck out to the boy.

 **Thomas Overland.**

 _Dad!_ Jack thought as he grunted, pushing himself onto the door and wriggling the doorknob. It was unlocked, conveniently, and Jack pushed his way through. He turned to slam the door shut, but the woman was too fast, grabbing the door and yanking it open, sending Jack falling to the ground.

She hissed, baring her rows of fangs, staring at Jack with hungry yellow eyes. Jack pointed his staff up at her warningly, but she grabbed the top of it and, in her inhuman grasp, nearly crushed it.

A boomerang flew out from behind her, smashing her in the back of the head. She yelped as she stumbled forward before spinning and hissing to the man in the doorway, blood dripping down the back of her neck. The man leaped into the air, bringing his knife down into the woman's neck, pinning her dead body to the ground.

Before Jack could react, the man had yanked Jack back onto his feet and pinned him against a wall. Jack's staff clattered out of his hands and fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped before thinking. "I-I was just looking for my dad, I swear! T-Thomas Overland, my dad, I swear I was JUST LOOKING FOR MY DAD!"

Jack finally got a moment to get a good look at the man. He had dusty brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and tan skin. Manly stubble dotted his chin. The man's jaw dropped, but all that Jack noticed was the man's bright green eyes.

"You're his son?" the man whispered in an Australian accent.

"You don't have yellow eyes," Jack breathed with relief.

"You're HIS son?!" the man's grip on Jack's shoulders tightened.

"You don't have yellow eyes!" the tension in Jack's body released.

"YOU'RE HIS SON!" the man finally released Jack, stepping back. "You're Overland's son!"

"You know my dad?" Jack asked excitedly, moving to step towards him. He gasped in pain and fell forward as pain shot through his foot. The man lunged and grabbed Jack's hand, keeping him stable.

"Your foot!" the man gasped. "How'd ya do that, mate?" His green eyes widened. "You weren't...you weren't BIT were you?!"

"NO!" Jack lied quickly. "Something...fell on it. A pole. A pole fell on my foot." Yeah. That's what he's going with.

"A...pole?" the man repeated doubtfully. "A pole fell on your foot...and left teeth marks."

"It was a sharp pole," Jack nodded, not turning back on his lie now. "With ridges."

It was terrible lie, obviously. But Jack couldn't tell the truth. If this man knew that Jack was bit, then he would kill him, thinking that soon he would turn into just another yellow-eyed monster. But Jack knew otherwise.

He didn't know what happened. The first time he was bit was on that summer day, back at his home in Burgess. His sister's bite left a scar on his hand, and twice more times of being bit in that year made Jack realized that something was obviously wrong. Why would his eyes turn blue for a while? How is it even possible? Was he immune to the yellow eyes?

Whatever it was, he knew this man wouldn't believe him.

"You know my dad?" Jack changed the topic as the man walked around his father's desk, still cluttered with papers from four years ago, untouched.

"Yeah, kid," he absentmindedly played with the nametag on his father's desk. "Worked with 'im."

"Really?!" Jack gasped before taking into account the man's outfit. The military uniform. Not just any military uniform, but a highly-decorated, exclusive, big-shot main-man uniform. "Wait, are you part of the military? And you worked with my dad?"

The man glanced up at Jack, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think your father's job was?"

"A publisher," Jack motioned to the desk. "This whole building is a publishing company."

The man's lip curled, surprised at how little his son knew. "What did you say your name was?"

"J-Jack," Jack picked up his staff as the man began to walk towards him.

"I think you should come with me, Jack," the man patted his back.

"Are you going to help me find my dad?" Jack asked as, limping, he was lead out of the room.

"That's the plan, mate," the man said, holding out a scrap of paper he took from Thomas's desk. "And this is our next clue."

* * *

 _Quick flashback, since most of you are probably like; "How did he get all the way to Jack?" assuming you know who the man is._

 _Tooth knocked on the door, all dressed up in her military uniform. "Are you all dressed in there?" she called._

 _"Come on in!" a man called from behind the door. Tooth walked in as Bunny was finishing up buttoning his military jacket. The rest had dressed up and were waiting for her._

 _"Game plan, guys," the man in the mask said from his desk. "You're all going to go out into the city and find the boy, presuming he's still around. The city is nearly deserted, and we've seen some action here, here, and here," he pointed at three spots on the map of the city. "All leading up to, we're assuming, here," his finger landed on the publisher's building._

 _"His father's secret identity, back when he still had one, must've been a publisher," North guess. "'Mild-mannered alter ego' and all that."_

 _"Exactly," the masked man nodded. "However, the place is riddled with those infected, black animals and humans alike. I'll send in a police force with you, it's the best we've got for now, sorry, but I don't think you'll have much trouble."_

* * *

And here, readers, is where I take you to what you have been asking this whole time. WHAT'S UP WITH B.L.A.C.C.?! Well, here's your answer, folks:

B.L.A.C.C.'s headquarters are secret and underground (naturally, as any sketchy evil corporation should). To get down there, one must go through the secret entrance, which was an old bedframe deep in the woods, down some stairs, down a long, metal, future-y hallway, and then reach the elevator, on which you scan your hand and you're sent on your merry way down into the Earth's surface.

The door opens to reveal a busy lobby that splits off into different hallways, all lit up with blue LED lights lining the ceiling. Now, if you would just follow me down the central hallway, you will get to a locked door. Press the intercom button, and you would hear a light, female, almost childish voice.

"Come in."

The man waited for the door to slide closed behind him before making his identity known. "Hello."

The girl, in her early twenties, hopped out of the chair (the spinny kind, because they are classy here at B.L.A.C.C.). "Y-You're back!"

Indeed, the man entering was none other than the leader, under the alias Boogieman.

"Not for long," he put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "How was running the place without me?"

"Fine, sir. We didn't expect you to return for a while," she tucked her black hair behind her ear as the older man sat in the chair, resting his arms on the desk.

"I have some fun details about the Guardians, if you'd like to hear them."

"Oh?"

The man peered up at the girl with sparkling, mischievous golden eyes, a brighter yellow than any other infected person on Earth. "They're after Jackson Overland. And I have reason to believe they have found him."

* * *

Bunny had volunteered to go up to Overland's office. Tooth waited in the mouse-infested elevator, kicking at them with her thick boots and shooting them. The sounds of bullets going off would surely attract more yellow eyes, so she prayed for Bunny to hurry up.

North and Sandy were in the lobby, fighting off yellow-eyed former publishers with the police force. It was strange, a flock of yellow eyes were attracted to the elevator before the Guardians had even arrived, hinting to them that someone was already in the building. The man in the mask waited back at HQ.

"TOOTH!" she heard Bunny call her name, and she quickly punched the **open door** button. Bunny was leading a limping kid onto the elevator, and Tooth shot the last of the mice.

"Watch your feet," she warned the kid, noting his bare feet. He didn't have thick boots like her and Bunny, and would be susceptible to any remaining mice that still might be hiding in the elevator. She noticed the limp and the crusting blood. "Did he get bit?!" she gasped.

"Nah, a...pole fell on it," Bunny said, still knowing how strange the excuse sounded. "Here," he lifted up the scrawny kid with almost no effort into his arms like a princess.

"A-AH?!" Jack gasped in surprise. "H-Hey, put me down!"

"Calm down, showpony," Bunny drawled emotionlessly. "We don't want the mice bitin' your feet. With that injury, you'll just limp yourself into an infection anyway. Get some damn shoes."

Jack's face scrunched, insulted. "My last shoes had worn out!"

"Steal some new ones!" Bunny snapped.

"Bunny!" Tooth scolded. "We don't encourage stealing!"

"Bunny?" Jack scoffed. "That's your name?"

"No!" Bunny shot a glare at Tooth. "It's Aster. My name is Aster."

"But she called you Bunny," Jack pointed at his military friend. "Why call you Bunny? With your accent, you're more like a Kangaroo."

"I'm sick of 'im already," Bunny said flatly, staring at Tooth.

"Why do you have him, anyway?" Tooth asked, casually tucking her gun back into its holster.

"Oh, right!" he remembered that he hadn't told Tooth who the kid was yet, and a lightbulb went off over Bunny's head with a DING! Actually, the DING! came from the door to the elevator sliding open, returning its passengers back to the lobby, in which North and Sandy were fighting off a group of yellow-eyed people.

"You're back!" Jack saw the big one yell with a Russian accent. The short man turned and waved silently, grinning before turning around just in time to shoot another person.

"I got this, get him in a car," Tooth ordered Bunny, pulling out her gun and rushing into the action. Bunny, not one to disobey orders from a girl who can shoot a tooth out, ran out of the revolving doors, and was greeted by policemen.

"Get him in a car," he ordered, lowering the kid to the ground. "We're taking him back to HQ."

"HQ? What HQ?!" Jack asked as he was dragged away, limping. "I thought we were going to see my dad!" He was shoved into the back of a police car. "Am I being arrested?!" he yelled out of the open door.

"Relax, mate," Bunny winked, pulling out a boomerang and waving it casually. "We'll get to your dad just as soon as we finish these guys!" With that, he ran back into the building.

"Everything will be alright, sir," the policewoman in the driver's seat said, peering at Jack through the mirror. "That man and his friends are the best of the best."

"Just who are the best of the best?" Jack asked, watching out the window, trying to see into the building.

The policewoman smiled knowingly. "The Guardians."

* * *

The man in the mask leaned back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh, trying to release the tension. "M.A.N.I.," he called out.

The ever trustworthy M.A.N.I. Moon's Automatic Noetic Intelligent. It is a highly intelligent computer system that was created by the company Moon's Tech, which have helped the military for years. It was used specifically for the Guardians, or any military officers fighting against the cause of the apocalypse. The company Moon's Tech was currently under the control of the brilliant, and ironically named, Luna Moonley. Remember her, readers, she'll be coming back later.

 **Hello,** a robotic voice responded cheerfully, coming from the walls, the ceiling, or nowhere in particular. **What can I do for you today, sir?**

"Search 'Thomas Overland'," he ordered.

 **I'm afraid that is inaccessible unless I know your rank,** the M.A.N.I. responded. **Please state your name, for my voice recognition system.**

The man sighed, slowly taking off his mask. Tufts of brown hair flew out, and the man looked up at the ceiling with wide brown eyes, sparkling with a childlike glint.

"Bennett," he said. "Jamie Bennett."

An engine whirred, followed by electronic beeps. **Of course, President Bennett!** the M.A.N.I. chuckled robotically. **Would you like me to download Thomas Overland's files to your computer?**

Jamie Bennett, the President of what was left of the United States of America and the head of the Guardians and the international fight against the apocalypse, nodded. "Yes, please."

* * *

 **BAM! Recap: Bunny found Jack, M.A.N.I. is introduced, as is Boogie and his right-hand-woman unnamed, and the mask is taken off!**

 **Misaikoneho:** YAS KEEP PUNCHING HER! (wait don't that's mean) (WAIT BUT SHE DESERVES IT) (ASDFALSDHFA:SHDF) Yeah, it's four years into the apocalypse, so the population has dwindled. Either the people turn into yellow eyes, or those yellow eyes are killed by humans, either way the city is, like, deserted. But super populated places (China, for instance) still are busy, just with yellow eyes.

 **soinherownhead:** They don't have a definitive name yet xD I'll try to come up with one. And you'll see~ (muahaha)

 **theawesomest5:** Ah yay thanks! I like being not cliche!

 **Dragongirl:** Good guess~(MUAHAHAHAHAHA) You'll just have to wait and see!

 **TheGhostSeeker:** (First off, awesome penname!) And sorry about the misspelling, man, I guess spell check didn't catch it. I'll remember that for next time. Also, I'll keep the racist thing in mind. The one about Europeans was a hash at my friend who's reading this and the other was an American joke, but those were the only two I was really going to say. But thanks for mentioning it, I'm always looking for constructive criticism! I hope you still like the story


	5. Chapter 5

Jack stared ahead at the people in front of him, unsure of what to think. I mean, what would happen if you were just on your solo mission to find your dad amongst the chaos, and then you're suddenly swept away by some big-wig...what did the lady call them again? Guardians?

Jack took his time to study them all. He looked at the big one and, for some odd reason, was reminded of Santa Claus. But not jolly-saint-crap Santa, one of the badass version. He was a big, Russian man, staring down at the small boy with his bulging arms crossed. What tipped him off on the Santa thing was not only the large white beard that ran down the man's massive chest, but the tattoos on either forearm, reading **Naughty** and **Nice**. Jeez, this man is intimidating. Jack could feel himself shrinking under the man's glare.

A huge smile split through the beard, and any feeling of intimidation flew out of Jack's body. The man held out his arms. "YOU ARE JACKSON OVERLAND, NO?!" he boomed in a loud, Russian accent. The volume made Jack jump, but he couldn't hold back a smile of his own. Maybe this Santa-Claus-Wannabe is more jolly that he looks.

"I'm Jack, yeah," he noticed how small his voice sounded compared to the man's, and tried to puff out his chest.

"You are absolutely precious!" the only female swooned, pinching his cheeks. Jack stared at her, wide-eyed, patiently waiting for his face to be released. She was an interesting looking woman, with dark skin and kind, yet excited brown eyes. Her dark hair was littered with feathers, dyed braids, beads, you name it. She had removed her military jacket and replaced it with a dentist coat, but the rest of her outfit remained the same. She was quick and light on her feet and, in a flash, moved from one side of the room to the other to swoon over the adorable child. Her feet were as fast as hummingbird wings.

"Get off of 'im," the grumpy, grumbly one in the back mumbled. "He's fourteen, not four."

It was the Australian stereotypical outback-man, the one Jack met first. He didn't need to study him that much, he had already had the time too. With the sandy ponytail and tanned skin, the man seemed entirely sand-colored. But the striking green eyes tore through his bland, sandy exterior. Interesting tattoos swirled up his arms and across his chest (does this guy ALWAYS have his shirt off? What the heck?). He snarled at the kid and crossed his arms defiantly, glaring at the wall. Jack winced. Obviously this crazy guy doesn't like him that much.

The quiet, short one surprised him the most. A small guy like him, Jack hadn't expected to be such a high military leader. He didn't seem that extraordinarily intimidating, as most military men are, with his fuzzy blonde hair and babyish, hairless face. He sat calmly in the big chair, dozing off. Jack raised an eyebrow. Was he allowed to just...sleep here like that? The man felt Jack's gaze and woke up, smiling kindly at him and waving. Jack smiled and shyly returned the wave, sure that even though this man was kind of odd, he will still like him.

"I'm glad we found you so quickly," the final man said, sitting at a desk with his hands folded calmly. Sitting in front of him was a white mask. His brown hair and brown eyes reminded Jack of himself, but older, and with tamer hair. Other than a handsome, neat goatee, his face still resembled one of a child.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, not remembering seeing this man at the publisher's. The man chuckled, eyes sparkling with the childishness that a grown man shouldn't be able to pull off.

"Why, I'm Jamie Bennett!" he laughed, surprised.

Jack stumbled back, leaning on his staff to balance himself. "T-The _President_?!"

Jamie held out his hands with a calm smile.

Jack looked around, unsure. He's never been in the presence of such important people. What does he do? Does he bow? What does one _do_ when meeting the President?!

Wait. Why the heck was the President in Philidelphia?

"Why the heck are you in Philidelphia?" Jack blurted out. He bit down on his own tongue, realizing that it was kind of disrespectful to speak like that to the President of the United States. "S-Sir," he hesitantly added.

President Jamie Bennett laughed, amused at Jack. Jack wished he knew WHY this man was so amused, but I guess that's how kids always feel around adults. Confused and kind of embarrassed.

"I'm here for you, young man," President Bennett nodded at Jack.

"M-Me?" Jack pointed at his chest. "What did I do?"

"It's nothing you did," Jamie rose from his chair. "It's what your father has done."

"YOU know my dad?!" Jack gasped, without thinking again. He cleared his throat and bowed his head, feeling his cheeks getting hotter and redder. Oh, this is so embarrassing! This is NOT how you should act around the President! "Sir?"

"It has come to my attention that you believe your father is a publisher," Jamie walked around his desk and leaned on it from the front.

"I-Is he not?" Jack looked around at all the adults.

Noticing that they were intimidating the child, North glanced at Tooth and bobbed his head towards the chairs. They both sat down, and Bunny scoffed but followed suit. Sandy was already in a chair, fast asleep. Now, the only two standing were Jamie and Jack.

"Kid, your father is -was- in the military," Jamie explained. "A very important military man, but I assume he kept that secret."

"My dad was in the MILITARY?" Jack gasped. "What did he do? Did he fight in wars?"

"He did much more than that, mate," Bunny called from his chair. "He founded the Guardians."

"He founded you guys?" Jack pointed around at all of them. "Is that a big deal?" he asked the President.

"A very big deal," Jamie nodded. "He was important for the first few months in the international fight against the apocalypse."

"Really?!" Jack gasped excitedly. Wow, was his dad really that cool?! "What happened?"

"He disappeared," Jamie said.

"Just, gone!" Tooth added.

"Vanished!" North said with good measure.

"Poof," Bunny casually raised one fist and opened it like a tiny explosion, looking bored.

 **If I may cut in, Mister President.**

"AH!" Jack practically leaped ten feet into the air. "W-Who was that?!"

"Don't worry, Jack," Jamie walked back to his seat. "That would be the Mechanical Automatic Noetic Intelligence. Our computer system that's dedicated entirely to our cause, and the best of the best in terms of technology."

 **I'm flattered, Mister President.**

"It can talk..." Jack breathed, still gripping his staff tightly.

 **Hello, Jackson Overland. I am the Mechanical Automatic Noetic Intelligence. You can call me M.A.N.I.**

"H-Hello," Jack looked around the room uncertainly. "Where are you?"

 **I'm just a computer, Jackson Overland, this voice is coming from everywhere.**

"You wanted to say something, M.A.N.I.?" Jamie cut in.

 **Yes, Mister President. My voice recording of your conversation picked up the name of Thomas Overland, and I recalled sending you his files. Would you like me to post them up on the projector screen, sir?**

"Good idea, thank you M.A.N.I.," Jamie said. On the far wall, an image appeared of Jamie's computer background. Two children, one ten years old and one no older than two.

"Who are they?" Jack asked.

"My children," Jamie smiled. "Jamie Junior and Sophie. M.A.N.I., please bring up the last update of Thomas Overland."

 **Of course.** A chart popped up, filled with unfamiliar names. One name, however, was in bold, and it was Thomas's. **This is the last official, public file on Thomas Overland,** M.A.N.I. informed. **He last checked into his second job as a publisher on August 11th, 10:04 A.M.**

"He never checked out," Jamie told the others around him.

"August 11th was the first day we got calls regarding yellow eyes, right?" Tooth asked.

"Your memory is as impressive as always," President Jamie nodded. "Indeed. He just rushed out of the publisher's office that day without checking out. He came straight to me. M.A.N.I., please access the secret files on Thomas Overland."

 **There are people here not permitted to seeing that information, sir,** M.A.N.I. protested.

"I give them permission."

There was a waver in M.A.N.I.'s computing system, but to Jack it sounded more like a hesitation. **Of course, sir.** A new chart appeared. **Thomas Overland checked into the Pentagon August 12th, 3:02 A.M. President Bennett was called to the Pentagon to meet with him. Together, they formed the Guardians.**

"We worked together for a month or so before he disappeared," Jamie explained.

 **September 20th, sir. That was the day he went missing.**

"M.A.N.I.," Bunny cut in, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I found this paper on his publisher's desk. He must have left it there August 11th."

 **Oh?**

"All it says is 'Fort Surrven'," Bunny read before looking back up at the screen. "Does that mean something?"

 **Searching...** the voice was followed by futuristic beeps and mechanical sounds. Jack, still confused and amazed at it all, had no idea what to think.

 **Fort Surrven,** an image of the fort appeared on the screen. **A fort in Brazil.**

"Who were some people who were there August 11th?" Jamie asked.

A chart appeared, and M.A.N.I. began to read off the names. **Lieutenant Maria Gomez. Nurse Silvia Raul. Lieutenant Mateo Thiago. The Guardian of South America. Captain Emily-**

"Stop! The Guardian of South America was there?!" Jamie gasped.

"Who?" Jack asked.

"There's one more of us," Tooth explained, turning to him. "The Guardians, we assemble against the yellow eyes, since the apocalypse started four years ago."

"We each have a section of the Earth we are protecting," North said. "Sandy here is North America. I am Europe, and Russia."

"Since he has Russia, I have the rest of Asia," Tooth explained.

"Austrailia and Africa," Bunny raised his boomerang casually.

"And then there's South America," President Bennett nodded back to the screen. "But why a man as powerful as him would be at such small a fort is beyond me. M.A.N.I., is there any account of Thomas Overland checking into Fort Surrven?"

 **No, sir. His name is not mentioned.**

"Then why would this be on his desk?" Bunny shook the paper.

"Maybe there is something at Fort Surrven he wants?" Tooth guessed.

"Then I guess that's your next stop, Guardians," Jamie said. Sandy waved his arms in the air, catching everyone's attention. He did some sign language, in which Jack knew nothing about, and ended up pointing at Jack.

"North America's right, mates," Bunny agreed with WHATEVER it was Sandy just said. "He _is_ just a kid."

"But it's his father, Bunny," North said.

"It's Aster, mate," Bunny corrected. "Quit callin' me Bunny!"

"What's going on?" Jack asked, assuming they were talking about him. Sandy smiled at him sympathetically.

"They're debating whether or not they should take you to Fort Surrven," President Bennett explained.

"Take me!" Jack immediately responded. "I wanna see my dad!"

"There are no promises your dad will be at fort, Jack," North said.

"I don't care!" Jack snapped. "You guys are supposed to be cool army guys, right? Then you can protect me! Plus, I've managed to survive this long, I can't be that bad!" He held back from mentioning the fact that he HAD been bitten before, but it just hadn't affected him. He thought it was better not to mention that tiny detail.

"I suppose you can go with them, Jack," Jamie agreed. "You'll need to take these," he took out a box and opened it. "Their communicator chips, embedded into these gloves. Not only will you be able to speak to me, you can also speak to M.A.N.I. You'll just need to press this button here on the wrist to access it."

 **I am for the Guardians and the Guardians only,** M.A.N.I. said. **My program has not been used by anyone else. Should we really give it to a civilian?**

"Jack is a special exception, M.A.N.I.," Jamie assured, closing the box and sliding it to Sandy, who accepted it and began passing out the gloves. "Though we aren't sure exactly why yet, he is special. We'll protect him from B.L.A.C.C., and we'll get him back to his father."

"Great, we can take Sleigh!" North cheered. Sleigh was what he called his private fighter jet. Bunny groaned, already feeling sick.

* * *

Once the Guardians left, Jamie began to pack up. The White House had long been destroyed -a war two years ago in which one side of the world believed that the other half started the apocalypse- and since Jackson Overland had been found, there was no other need for the President to be in this city. He would return back to his new home in Washington DC. And by home, I mean more like a fortified hideout.

 **President Bennett,** M.A.N.I. said. **Miss Moonely has arrived. Of Moon's technologies.** (Ah, remember I said she would be important?)

"Send her in," Jamie mumbled absentmindedly.

"Hello, Mister President," Luna Moonely said smoothly as she closed the door behind her. She was a beautiful woman, her long blonde hair tucked into a business-like bun, and she wore a crisp blazer and black pencil skirt. She looked extremely young for her age, but stress had caused creases by her mouth and eyes and gray streaks in her hair.

"Miss Moonely!" Jamie greeted her with a hug.

"Hello, M.A.N.I.!" Luna called to her creation.

 **Greetings, Miss Moonely.**

"I hope M.A.N.I. has been serving you well?" she asked, her voice as smooth as silk and gentle as the breeze. Her eyes were large but gray, colorless, almost like the moon itself.

"It's brilliant," Jamie praised. "I've never had a better computer system. You are leading the technology of the future."

"I'm so glad."

"Thank you for creating those communicating gloves," Jamie said. "I had just given them to the Guardians. I trust they'll do nicely, they are _your_ work after all."

Luna laughed. "Thank you, Mister President! That means a lot coming from you."

"And how are you?" Jamie asked, busy messing with papers on the desk. "How is the search for the children going?"

Luna sighed, placing the binder she was carrying on his desk. "I'm afraid no progress," she muttered sadly. "I miss those two so much."

 **I was named after one of them** M.A.N.I. informed, bragging.

"Indeed you were, M.A.N.I." Luna laughed sadly. "My dear Manny and E.J. disappeared four years ago, when the apocalypse started."

"I am so sorry. Does their father know yet?" Jamie asked.

"Their father has been...out of the picture for quite a while now," Luna explained. "We divorced quite a long time ago. Fifteen, sixteen years ago?"

"Gosh! How old are your children?"

"Well, let's see," Luna thought. "When they went missing, E.J. was 21, and Manny was 16."

"Oh, did E.J. go missing from college?" Jamie asked.

"Yes," Luna said, putting papers into her binder. "I heard that the college was overrun by those monsters, so I've been told to assume the worst."

"If they are still alive, which I'm sure they are," Jamie added, "E.J. would be 25 and Manny would 20. They are old enough to take care of themselves."

"They're still my babies, President," Luna sighed. "I'm sure you understand that. How are your two doing?"

"Oh, they are so sweet. Jamie just turned ten, and Sophie is a whopping two."

"I miss the days they were so young," Luna said dreamily.

"I miss the days when we didn't have to worry about this kind of thing," Jamie fell back into his chair. "About these...yellow-eyed things!"

"It's quite unfortunate, really," Luna said. "You are the youngest president yet, and soon after you were elected you have to deal with this."

"It's not fair. Give the Baby President the hard problems," Jamie chuckled at his derogatory nickname (politicians could be such bullies!). "Well, I ought to be headed out. Will you be joining me on our flight back to D.C.?"

"I wouldn't miss it," Luna grinned.

* * *

 **A few weeks before**

Fort Surrven. A small yet strong fort. The Guardian of South America had just left after a supposed "health investigation", but honestly, Lieutenant Mateo found the man strangely suspicious. Surrounded by woodland, the fort was pretty much alone, apart from an infected town down the street, but it was far away enough for them not to worry, at least for now.

"He can't be that bad, Mateo," Maria patted his shoulder as they watched him drive away. (They were speaking in Spanish, but I'll translate for the sake of all the English monolingual readers out there.) "He is the protector against the yellow-eyed people!"

"Yes, yes, I know," Mateo sighed as the two Lieutenants turned and entered the small fort. "But he is a very strange man."

"I guess that is what happens when you are protecting the continent from those monsters. What do they call them anyway?" Maria asked.

"I don't think they've been given a formal name," Mateo shrugged.

"After four years?!" Maria gasped in surprise. "I can come up for plenty of names for them right now!"

"Oh, really?" Mateo challenged.

"Really!" Maria smirked. "Diablos, amarillos, zombies-"

"Zombies?!" Mateo interrupted, laughing. "Zombies are not real! And anyway, these are much worse than zombies!"

"How about Nightmares?" a voice asked from behind them. The two jumped and spun around.

"Captain!" Mateo sighed with relief.

"I've been calling them Nightmares," the Captain said. She was an interesting girl. Young (25 years old), and new to the military, but very talented indeed. Her black her was twisted into a side braid, cascading down her front. Her bangs hung in front of her emotionless brown eyes that contrasted against her pale -almost gray- skin. She was beautiful, but now a loud kind of beautiful. An eerie kind of beautiful. The kind of beautiful that made you question what exactly beautiful means.

Ooh, wait, I bring up a good point! What _is_ the meaning of beautiful? How would you give definition to that word? I know we all want to say everyone is beautiful, but there's a specific kind of beautiful that attracts to a certain person. Everyone has a different definition of beauty, so I would suppose that this girl would only be beautiful in a certain person's perspective.

But beauty isn't just narrowed down to people, though. The world itself is beautiful. Or, it may not be. The world had been beautiful before, diversifying in life, humans everywhere, the living cycle in harmony.

But then the apocalypse came, humanity crashed. Monsters ran around, and most places in the world had lost every last human, every single one replaced with a monster. Pretty soon, humanity could be on the brink of extinction. Military attempts have gone nuts, but nothing seems to be stopping these black animals spreading that disease, that virus, that WHATEVER THEY HAD (it sure as heck wasn't rabies) around. That wouldn't be that beautiful.

But who knows. Maybe the one who started this thought this was more beautiful than the world before.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Remember that, readers, as you meet more characters, learn their opinions, see their feelings.

But I digress. Back to the Captain.

"I overheard your conversation, Lieutenants," the Captain explained in broken Spanish, as it wasn't her first language like it was Mateo and Maria. "I've been calling the yellow eyes 'Nightmares', but that was more of a personal thing."

"I like that," Maria turned to Mateo and nodded. "Nightmares. It's just what they are. We don't know what they are or where they came from, but they terrorize us."

"I like that," Mateo praised. "You have a creative mind, Captain. You don't find that often in the military."

The Captain nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant Mateo." She turned and left the room once again. There was a scratching sound by the wall, and soon the conversation with the Captain was completely forgotten. Maria's hand slowly moved to rest on her gun holster.

"Relax, Maria," Mateo chuckled, walking over to the wall. "It is probably just a mouse."

It was a mouse. But it was hardly _just_ a mouse. Yes, readers, you would have recognized the mouse. It's the kind we've seen before, in a certain elevator in a certain publisher's office building. Too bad Mateo would not realize that until after it chomped down on his hand. After he fell back with a yelp, blood spurting from his palm. Until his eyes would start to burn. Until a sudden thirst for blood took over him.

* * *

 **Recap: Jack meets the Guardians, we learn about Fort Surrven, exposition exposition exposition with Luna and Jamie, and then Fort Surrven fun. WHO DO WE THINK IS THE CAPTAIN?! (obviously not the Captain from IdentiStaffs ((my other fanfic)) cause this one is female. But important!)**

 **soinherownhead:** Thank you! You'll see about Thomas Overland ~ (muahaha) And yes, there is a reason to Jack's supposed immunity~ (more muahahahas) AH, thank you so much for liking my stories!

 **TheGhostSeeker:** Ah thanks I try to avoid cliches and all that! (Aw poop! Well I figured immunity for Jack is popular for AUs, I just hope my reason will be original ((which you will see sooooon))) Thanks so much for liking it!

 **theawesomest5:** Haha, it was a very good reference! Okay, okay, here, have a virtual damned ham sandwich ;)

 **Misaikoneho:** aw poop no punching for you! Yeah a lot of the survivors are in hiding, but busy places like the Philippines are infested like crazy. Poor Tooth, she has to deal with them xD

 **Dragongirl:** Hmmmm yes good guesses all good guesses :) unfortunately no Sophie is still a two year old, turns out president Jamie is just our Jamie's dad. However his sidekick is a human! Ish. In this AU she is. But the identity of the villain will be pretty confusing for a while

 **Thanks for liking it, guys! Please review if you have any critiques, comments, or human sacrifices!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Not a fan of flying, huh?" Jack chuckled.

Bunny was curled over in his seat, his feet anxiously THUMP THUMP THUMPING on the floor. "I-I don't know what y-you're talking about, mate," he chuckled into his hands, covering his face.

"Is Bunny's only fear," North said from the cockpit, voice crackling on the intercom. "Well, other than-"

" _ASTER_ , mate!" Bunny corrected desperately, cutting it off.

"What? What's the other one?!" Jack asked excitedly, wanting to know more weaknesses on the annoying one.

North snorted. "Dogs."

"You're scared of _dogs_?!" Jack cackled.

"I h-hate you, North," Bunny mumbled, his tan cheeks turning very, very red.

The private fighter jet was nice, but the militaristic-ness of it all kind of made Jack uncomfortable. It was a tight squeeze, with two benches facing each other and masks, guns, and other such scary things hanging up on the walls. Jack sat alone on one bench while Bunny and Sandy sat on the other bench. Tooth and North were piloting, both natural flyers.

"How's it going back there, kiddo?" Tooth asked over the intercom.

"I-It's alright," Jack looked down at his wooden staff, sitting in his lap, merely a stick in comparison to the guns around him. His "weapon" didn't seem so weapon-y anymore.

"We a-almost there?" Bunny asked from under his hands.

"Do not worry, Bunny, I gave few more minute warning just a few moments ago!" North said through the intercom.

Bunny groaned, unable to even correct North on his nickname again.

"What do you think we'll find at the fort?" Jack asked. "I mean, if my dad never checked in..."

"Hopefully, kid, another clue," Tooth emerged from the cockpit, removing her headphones and slinging them around her neck. "Landing in ten minutes."

"FINALLY!" Bunny laughed with relief.

Sandy moved his hands in more sign language that Jack couldn't understand, only making him feel even _dumber_ than he already felt (which was really dumb, I mean LOOK where he is right now!).

"He's right," Tooth agreed with the silent man. "We should suit up. Prepare for the worst, you know?"

"It's a military fort, I'm sure nothing bad has happened to them," Bunny rolled his eyes.

"I agree with Mister Sanderson too," Jack decided to speak up. "I mean, you guys have the equipment, so why not bring it, just in case?"

"See?" Tooth motioned to Jack. "Smart kid!"

"Fort Surrven is in the middle of nowhere!" Bunny said. "The closest civilization is a small town a while away. What could have happened?"

"Those black animals came out of nowhere, Bunny," Tooth said, already grabbing a gun and slinging it over her shoulder. "You're just arguing to argue!"

Jack giggled as Bunny mumbled under his breath "Stop callin' me Bunny," but stood up anyway, putting on his decorated military jacket, only slightly covering his tattoos.

"You don't have to worry, Jack," Tooth turned to look at the kid. "You're in good hands. Well, for the most part," she sent a joking glare in Bunny's direction, who replied with a snarl. "We'll protect you if anything goes wrong."

"I know you will!" Jack nodded. "It's just...a lot to take in, you know. Why my dad is so important...why you guys are looking for him..."

"Get in here, Tooth!" North called from the cockpit.

"I understand," Tooth said to Jack as she replaced the headphones over her ears. "Landing in three minutes!" she warned the others, waving her finger in the air. "Get your weapons and buckle up!" she rushed back into the cockpit and, before the door slid shut, Jack saw her slide into the copilot seat and strap in.

The plane was in sudden, controlled chaos. Jack stared wide-eyed as the military men handled stuff that Jack didn't even know. Sandy and Bunny maneuvered around each other, tossing each other stuff and things and whatever military crap they could find, moving with expert practice and obvious experience. Bunny strapped these leather...things around his bare chest (why is there still no shirt on? Is he trying to show off his weird tattoos?) with metal things tucked up and down the straps.

"What are those?" he asked shyly as Bunny finished strapping them on, slightly embarrassed that he didn't know much about the weapons.

"Bandolier sling, mate," he mumbled absentmindedly. "Holds the ammo for this bad boy," he picked a giant gun from the wall of weapons.

"Wow!" Jack breathed at the hugeness of that thing. A small smile tugged at the corner of Bunny's lips.

"Isn't she a beaut?" Bunny was finally not annoyed with this kid, always glad to show off. "She's the Bushmaster M17S, born in Australia and my pride and joy!" He slung it over his shoulders before grabbing a much smaller pistol, promptly loading it and showing it to the boy. "She's the AMT Combat Government. Hardballer line, they're not Australian, but they're reliable."

"Can I hold it?!" Jack asked excitedly, holding out his hands.

"A military weapon? Keep dreamin', mate," Bunny chuckled, putting the pistol back into its holster.

Sandy silently laughed and shook his head at the both of them, strapping his own package of ammo onto his back.

"Landing in two minutes!" Tooth said over the intercom. "Better be done suiting up!"

"Yeah, yeah," Bunny mumbled, rolling his eyes. Jack laughed, slowly growing accustomed to being around big-wig military guys. "Buckle up, mate," Bunny motioned to Jack before sitting down as well.

Jack obeyed excitedly, strapping in and holding his staff with excitement. His little branch compared to the Bushmaster something-or-other was suddenly seeming weak, but he was too awe-stricken by the badassery to care.

"Oh, c-crickey, this is my least favorite part!" Bunny doubled over as the jet jumped and began to descend.

"Better be buckled in!" Tooth snapped over the intercom. "We're landing in a clearing near the fort, so it'll be a small hike uphill!"

Bunny was muttering stuff under his breath as turbulence bounced the jet. Sandy laughed silently, his shoulder shaking, before winking at Jack. Knowing that Jack wouldn't understand his sign language, he didn't even try to communicate. But he felt that his message was received.

 _We'll find your dad._

"Impact in 3!" Tooth said.

"CRICKEY!" Bunny yelped in fear.

"2! 1! Brace yourself, Bunny!"

The plane shakily landed grass, and suddenly Jack was shaking like a leaf. His butt bounced off of the bench as the plane vibrated around him, knocking him this way and that. _Thank god for seat belts,_ he thought as the plane slowed to a shaky stop. He finally let out the breath he didn't know he was holding as the door to the cockpit once again slid open.

"Why d-didja warn m-me specifically?" Bunny breathed, his voice suddenly quiet.

"I knew you were freaking out," Tooth laughed, walking over to the weaponry. "Let's see here...where are my grappling hooks? I know North keeps extras in the Sleigh."

"They're there," the giant Russian grunted as he pushed himself through the small doorway. Bunny and Tooth protested, groaning as he suddenly took up most of the space in the jet, but Jack just laughed.

"Bunny and Sandy, you out first, you're already suited," North ordered, taking his natural leadership position. "Scout the clearing for any signs of yellow eyes."

"Yes, ma'am," Bunny grumbled, unbuckling and rising to his feet. "Let's move, Sandy."

Sandy saluted before rushing out of the jet door. Bunny followed before quickly closing the door behind him.

Jack jumped when he heard a crackling sound followed by an Austrailian accent. _"Not seeing anything yet."_

The voice, it turned out, was coming from his one black glove. Everyone had one on their right hand, which could be used as a communicator to not only each other, but also M.A.N.I.

"We'll be out in a sec,"Tooth said into her glove, pressing the button on the wrist just as President Bennett had instructed. "North?"

"Here they are," North handed two guns to Tooth. But instead of a regular gun, it had prongs at the end.

"What are those?" Jack asked curiously.

"They're my grappling hooks," Tooth explained without looking back at him, strapping the two grappling hooks to her belt. "Built it myself."

"You BUILT that?!" Jack gasped.

Tooth laughed. "Yeah, I took your average handgun and modified the chamber a bit. Then, you take some wire and coil it into the chamber. I had to change up gears, and the trigger's a little hard to press, but it's how I move around. I use it to swing and 'fly' around."

"Is why we call her Tooth _Fairy_ , no?" North added with a chuckle.

"It's like in Batman!" Jack cheered, launching Tooth into laughter.

"Yes, yes, just like Batman," Tooth laughed. "I'm headed out. We'll let you know through the glove if it's alright to come out, okay Jack?"

"Don't you worry, kid," North patted Jack's head before the two rushed out of the door, and Jack was left alone in the jet.

He looked around, finally taking a moment to breath. After all, this was all so exhilarating, and he barely had the time to just take it in. Four special ops military men were out there, ready to protect him, ready to help him find his dad! He looked at all the weapons with awe, unbuckling to stand and look around.

"Cool..." he breathed. As the little boy that he was, he didn't realize there were all these different kinds of guns. He was too scared to touch them.

 _"Come on out, kiddo, the coast is clear,"_ Tooth's voice came through the glove.

"Cool..." Jack repeated, staring down at the black glove. He felt like a real, actual spy, like in the movies. He struggled with opening the jet door, but when he did he was blasted with warm air.

He tilted his head back and sighed, stepping out of the jet and letting the warm sun soak his body. Twigs crunched under his (still) bare feet painfully, so he leaned most of his weight on his staff as he walked around, taking in the woods around them. "Where's the fort?" he asked as he was approached by the Guardians.

"That way," Tooth pointed off into the woods. "This place is surrounded by woodland, so this was the only place to land."

"Here," North lifted Jack into one arm with ease, and the boy yelped. Why did people keep on surprising him by picking him up so easily?! "So you don't hurt your feet," North explained.

"It'll be faster if we carry you, anyway," Bunny said. "Considering your short little legs."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed, and he stuck a tongue out at the man. "Mean Kangaroo."

"It's the accent, isn't it?!" Bunny looked around at the others. "Look, mate, I'm not a _Bunny,_ I'm not a _Kangaroo,_ I'm a man with a big scary gun, so I suggest you don't-"

"Don't scare him!" Tooth snapped.

"Fine. Let's just get movin'," Bunny rolled his eyes.

"Aye aye, matey," Jack joked quietly, but it was still loud enough for Bunny's (sensitive) ears.

"Australian!" he snapped, turning back to the kid. "Not a pirate! _Australian!_ "

Sandy grabbed Bunny's hand and began to drag him into the woods, shaking his head and laughing. Tooth grinned apologetically at Jack.

"He's not as big and scary as he seems," she giggled.

"I know," Jack smiled. "Cause he's scared of dogs!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT ANKLE BITER!" he heard Bunny yell from the woods, presumably being held back by Sandy. Tooth laughed before running after them. North looked around one final time before carrying Jack off into the woods.

M.A.N.I. whirred to life in their gloves. **1.5 miles to Fort Surrven.**

* * *

"Sir!" the Lieutenant of the General Guardian of South America rushed into his office. "N-News from the President!"

"You let him know I would be joining him and the Guardians next week?" the man asked, leaning his chin in his fist with boredom.

"T-That's just the thing, sir," the Lieutenant quickly adjusted the ruffled files in his arms from his running. "President Bennett is planning on heading back to Washington D.C. If you wanted to meet him, then you would have to do it there!"

"What happened to Philadelphia? And that boy?" he asked. "Jackson Overland, I thought they were looking for him?"

"They found him quicker than you thought, General," Lieutenant informed. "And the Guardians are on their way to South America!"

"They're coming _here_?!" the General gasped, jumping out of his chair. "Why?"

 **I might be able to answer that, General.**

The Lieutenant jumped at the sudden, robotic voice. "W-What?"

"That's right, you're new," the General remembered.

 **Hello, Lieutenant,** the voice said cheerfully. **I am the Mechanical Automatic Noetic Intelligence.**

"You can call him M.A.N.I.," the General said. "It's made specifically for the Guardians." He looked up at the ceiling. "You were going to say something, M.A.N.I.?"

 **I was activated during the meeting in Philidelphia, sir,** M.A.N.I. explained. **The Guardians found a slip of paper on Thomas Overland's publishing desk.**

"Thomas Overland was a publisher?" the General mumbled to himself.

 **All it said were the words "Fort Surrven".**

"Fort Surrven?!" the General practically launched himself four feet into the air, recognizing the name instantly. "Why would he have an interest in Fort Surrven?"

 **That's what they're going to figure out.**

The General began to pace, rubbing his chin in thought. "I was just there for a security check a few weeks ago, but I haven't heard from them since. Of course, I had a few of my men stationed there, including..." he trailed off suspiciously. "M.A.N.I., have we gotten any transmissions since my visit there last month?"

The computer whirred. **None.**

"Contact them at once," the General ordered.

"Sir?" the Lieutenant questioned, but was cut off by the General's violent SHUSH!

 **Contact acquired.**

"Fort Surrven, come in Fort Surrven," the General demanded, crossing his arms. On the other line was just the sound of empty, ominous crackle. "Fort Surrven, this is the Guardian General, come in Fort Surrven."

Still no response. The Lieutenant shot a worried look at the General.

"Captain Julia Hart, are you there? Captain?" the General tried.

"Why aren't they answering?" the Lieutenant whispered.

"Fort Surrven, anyone!" the General yelled. "I had my Captain stationed there, Julia Hart, can you please bring her online? Captain?"

"Sir-"

The General groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I knew this would happen."

"The yellow eyes...you knew?" the Lieutenant questioned.

"It's why I had the Captain there-" he cut himself off, looking at the Lieutenant as if he was just noticing him for the first time. "I had a hunch. I wanted the Captain to wait there and keep me updated..."

"How can you just _have a hunch_?" the Lieutenant asked, getting more and more confused by the minute.

 **I have detected unauthorized personnel, General,** M.A.N.I. said. **You should not speak too much here.**

"What's going on, General?" the Lieutenant asked, taking a step backward.

"Nothing," the Guardian hissed under his breath, his fingers trailing along the desktop globe. "I'll be leaving now. I have...more forts to check up on."

The General rushed out of the room, and there was the sound of an engine slowing. It was M.A.N.I., shutting down. The Lieutenant stared at the door, wide-eyed, before slowly looking back at the globe on the man's desk, still spinning from the General's touch. The Lieutenant let out a slow breath he didn't realize he was holding and fell back into a chair, groaning.

* * *

 **Oops more mystery :)**

 **Recap: So the gang's headed to Fort Surrven, that should be a blast. The General is still suspicious.**

 **Misaikoneho:** (wow you're a good guesser! You're catching on quickly) Ah yeah I didn't even think about the Fearlings xD myehhhh too late now n.n A tree house in the sea?! THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!

 **soinherownhead:** Hmmmm, good guess (mysterious laughter) I'm glad you like the story so far! Thanks for the chocolate!

 **Merlia W: (shadow)** Ah right! I'll be better on proofreading (I'll try, at least!) And yeah, I was trying to go for a more confused/awe-struck/scared thing with Jack, considering he's with, and I quote, "big wig military men" I figured even a 14 year old would be sorta shy. But don't worry, I won't go to babyish with him. Thank you for liking the story!

 **theawesomest5:** Haha thanks for liking the story!


	7. Chapter 7

"There it is," Tooth said as she pushed herself out of the woods and onto a gravel road. On the other side was a small yet strongly-fortified military base. It was surrounded by a barbed wire gate, left wide open and swinging in the breeze. There were three buildings, one on the left, right, and the biggest one in the center. They were all plain, gray, boring, square buildings. Jack didn't know what he expected, but he was hoping a cool military fort, not gray blocks.

"It looks deserted," Jack commented, still being cradled in North's giant arm.

"I agree with 'im, mates," Bunny said, walking in front of the group. "Darn place looks completely empty!"

"Maybe everyone is just inside?" North tried, shrugging.

Sandy signed something at Jack didn't understand.

"I agree with Sandy," Tooth said. "Bunny, you take the left side, and I'll take the right. Sandy, take the middle. We'll let you guys know through the glove when the coast is clear, North."

"Alright, let's go!" Bunny cheered, and the three of them ran past the gate into the fort before splitting up.

North chuckled, Jack bouncing in his arms at the motion. "Naturally, I get stuck with babysitting."

"You don't need to babysit me, you know," Jack said, wriggling out of North's grasp and landing on the ground. "I _am_ a fourteen year old."

"A very important fourteen year old," North pointed out. "We can't risk anything."

"I don't like this," Jack said, leaning against his staff. "Suddenly being so important. I was on my own for four years, I'm not used to all this attention. Especially from..." Jack looked the man up and down, at his officer's outfit and giant gun and huge body. "Well, _you_!" _Big, scary, Santa Claus look-alike, military famous person,_ he added in his head.

"When world throws curveball, you must be ready to catch, Jack," North said as wisely as he could. It seemed that this muscle man wasn't ALL muscle. He had brains, and heart as well.

"I don't necessarily like this curveball," Jack mumbled, bowing his head and glaring at the ground, wondering if his supposed immunity and temporary blue eyes had anything to do with the military's -and the PRESIDENT'S, lest you forget- sudden intense interest in him.

"This curveball will help find your father," North patted Jack on the back. "Don't look so sad!"

Jack didn't even LIKE baseball! But he got the gist. Jack grinned up at the man. "I might feel better if you let me hold one of your cool big army guns."

North laughed, tossing his head back with a mighty, Santa-Claus-like chuckle. "No, Jack, I can't let you do that."

Jack sighed dramatically. "Worth a shot."

* * *

Bunny turned the corner and entered through the left door. It led to a bland, gray, empty hall.

Oh, wait, it wasn't empty! There was red paint splattered all around.

Oh, wait again. That was not paint.

"Nasty!" Bunny winced, walking around the puddles of blood and looking around anxiously. "What the hell went up in here?" he mumbled to himself, worried that Toothy might be _right_ and that this place wasn't able to make it through the apocalypse.

"Oi," he groaned as he stepped in a pool of blood. "My boot!" he quickly side-stepped around it. "Jeez, this place is like a horror film," he whispered. _Your entire life is like a horror film, Bunny,_ he snarkily replied mentally. _I know that, but my name is Aster! Dammit, North, now ya got me doin' it!_

There was a scratch coming from behind the next corner, and Bunny froze, interrupting his mental argument, hand on the holster for his pistol. He was on alert, but he wasn't scared, naturally. Bunny didn't get scared.

Unless, of course...

The hairs on the back of Bunny's neck, under his ponytail, prickled as a shiver ran down his spine. That damn ankle biter knew about his fear of dogs now, and there's no way he'll hear the end of it. Fantastic. On top of the fucking apocalypse, he also has to babysit a brat!

Bunny cleared his throat before pointing his giant gun (the Bushmaster M17S, remember?) at the corner, slowly approaching it. Something dashed across the hallway, hiding behind the next corner, and Bunny turned to point at the other corner.

 _Don't shoot yet,_ he thought. He continued to advance towards the corner, green eyes narrowing.

An animal poked its head out. It was pure black, and glared at Bunny with yellow eyes.

"Shit!" Bunny hissed, shooting. The animal ducked back behind the corner, the bullets hitting the wall harmlessly. Bunny sighed, breath hissing through his clenched teeth, before running and pointing his gun at the animal.

And freezing.

Twenty, no, thirty, black, yellow-eyed dogs stared back at him. They all bared their blood-stained fangs.

"C-Crickey!" Bunny gasped, shooting rapidly. Two dogs went down, but the rest went charging at him full force. "Crickey, crickey, HEEEELP!" he spun around and ran as fast as he could down the hallway. The dog's barking filled his eardrums, rattling his brain and sending shivers down his spine. "HELP! HELP ME! AH-HA-HA!" he swerved left and right, dodging the lunging dogs. One managed to catch up to him, moving to bite his leg, but Bunny quickly pointed the giant gun down and get it right in the top of the head. It yelped and collapsed, its body left to the mercy of the stampeding dogs.

His heart fell from his chest to his stomach, the gun barely secure in his sweaty palms. _I hate dogs I hate dogs I hate dogs,_ he thought, ignoring the puddles of blood he ran through, splashing up and staining his boots. The barking echoed throughout the hallways, and Bunny felt his breath get caught in his lungs.

 _Calm down, calm down,_ Bunny hated himself right now, desperately gasping for breath as the dogs with their loud barks and scary fangs and evil tendencies caught up to him. His mind was a blur, he couldn't think, he couldn't breath.

"HELLLP!" Bunny turned a corner and groaned at the approaching wall. "Dead end. Figures," he grumbled, preparing for his ultimate demise.

The following events happened in about thirty seconds, too fast for Bunny to even register.

Something -some _one_ \- stepped out in front of him, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him down onto the ground. Bunny grunted as he skidded on his knees and smashed against the wall as the person whipped out two pistols and shot rapidly at the dogs. Five were down, two more, they were shot down.

On the ground still, Bunny shot his Bushmaster, helping out his savior.

"Ah! GET OFF!" the person yelled as one jumped on their arm, teeth bared. Bunny shot it down quickly, the last one.

"Thanks, man," the person turned to him, whipping off their hood. Black hair flew out like a waterfall, long and flowing, framing the girl's long face. She put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow, staring down at the man with inquisitive dark eyes. "Sorry about the rough handling back there, I act fast but don't really think before I go."

Bunny cleared his throat and nodded, still rattled by, well, all the dead dogs lying around. His heart still pounded against his ribs with violent ferocity, but at least he was catching his breath. His mind slowly began to stop spinning.

"Not a fan of dogs, are ya?" the girl chuckled, reaching out her hand. Bunny accepted the small, pale hand and let her help him up.

"They're not my favorite, no..." Bunny mumbled, his voice returning as his fear subsided. "I'm sorry, I'm usually much more...capable in these situations."

The girl tossed her head back and laughed. "I'm sure you are, Colonel E. Aster Bunnymund!"

Bunnymund was taken aback. "You know who I am?" He was certain that he wasn't that popular here. Africa and Austrailia, sure, but South America?!

The girl laughed. "I'm a subordinate of the General Guardian here in South America," she explained. "So I know a bit about the other Guardians as well."

"Oh, you are?!" Bunny gasped in shock, remembering his old...friend? "What a coincidence!"

The girl nodded. "What are you doing _here_ , though? A small fort in South America doesn't seem like a place you need to be," she commented.

"You'd be surprised," Bunny chuckled. "There is a lot we need here."

"There's not a lot you'll find here," she shook her head. "This place was infested a few weeks ago."

"Dammit," Bunny hissed. "Wait, then why are you here?"

"That's not important," the girl waved her hands dismissively. "We should get out of here, though. Find your friends, I'm assuming they're with you, and you guys can come with me. I've secured a...temporary living space down the street."

"Of course," Bunny sighed. "We should probably all figure out what we're going to do before we come here and investigate. It is dangerous."

"C'mon, let's get out," the girl jerked her head as she turned and began to walk.

"What's your name?" Bunny asked, walking behind her.

"Oh, I'm Julia," she said. "Captain Julia Hart, last survivor of Fort Surrven."

* * *

"It is a pleasure to meet you all, really," Julia gushed, shaking Tooth's hand. "I've heard so much about you, all of you."

"It's nice to meet a friend of the General," Tooth nodded, smiling politely. "Would you mind explaining what's happened here?"

"No one knows for sure, ma'am," Julia said. "It happened a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the General had just dropped me off. The day of, we found a rat infestation, and quickly found out they were Nightmares," Julia explained.

"Nightmares?" North questioned.

"Oh, sorry, that's what I call the yellow-eyes," Julia smiled sheepishly. "It just seemed fitting."

"Continue," Tooth nodded.

"As far as I know, I was the only one who didn't get infected," Julia said, sighing. "I managed to find safety in a town that way," she pointed down the gravel road. "Unfortunately, the town's infested, but I managed to secure the place I'm staying in. It's just a hassle getting in and out of town, really. You can all join me, if you would like."

"Of course," North accepted, and Julia finally noticed the child beside him.

"Who's this?" she asked, nodding to the boy.

"I'm J-" Jack started.

"This is Bunnymund's cousin," Tooth quickly interrupted, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder. The boy looked up at her, confused, as she continued. "...Kyle. Kyle Bunnymund."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyle," Julia smiled kindly, shaking Jack's hand.

"You too..." Jack mumbled, quite confused but going along with it anyway, feeling Tooth's stare at the back of his head.

"Follow me!" Julia said cheerfully, taking the lead with Bunny as they began to walk down the road.

"Kyle Bunnymund?" Jack whispered to Tooth, the two of them taking up the rear of the group so they could talk. "Why do I get the stupid last name?"

"It's not a stupid last name," Tooth lied. "I had to think fast, sweetie! We barely know her, if word gets out that we have Thomas' son with us, B.L.A.C.C. might hear it."

"You know, you still haven't quite explained to me what B.L.A.C.C. is," Jack pointed.

"You'll just have to wait for an explanation, _Kyle_ ," she said. "Right now, let's focus on getting you to the apparently 'safe place'."

"Don't you trust her?" Jack asked.

Tooth heaved a sigh, watching as Bunny and Julia talked up in front, and Sandy and North in the middle in a sign language/out loud conversation. "It's not that I don't trust her," she whispered. "I'm paranoid, people know that about me."

"She _saved_ Bunny," Jack said, tucking one of his hands into his sweatshirt pocket.

"I know, I know," Tooth laughed. "There's more logic for trusting her than not, I suppose."

"I'll play along with the Kyle thing," Jack agreed. "But I'll need explanations eventually."

"And you'll get them," Tooth said, distracted as a town suddenly appeared beyond a hill. "Is that it?" she called up.

"Yep," Julia responded. "Keep an eye out for Nightmares, though, it'll be a bumpy ride until we can get to safety," she warned.

* * *

Boogie once again entered B.L.A.C.C.'s underground headquarters. Everyone passing by in the lobby froze to salute their leader, illuminated by the blue LED lights, giving his dark appearance a rather ominous hue.

"She's gone?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," one officer answered.

"And the Guardians landed in Fort Surrven," another added.

"Any visuals?" Boogie asked.

"Their computer system, M.A.N.I., would have picked them up," an officer replied. "It was too dangerous."

Boogie's arms slowly crossed. "Do we _know_ if they have the boy with them?"

"I'm afraid not, sir," one officer said.

"Would it be safe to assume they left him with the President?" another asked. "Why would they bring a child to a potentially infested fort?"

"Not POTENTIALLY infested, it IS infested!" Boogie snapped, his loud voice bouncing off the walls. Everyone froze with fear as the yellow eyes on the man grew increasingly angry. " _I_ made sure of that! Because _I_ am productive! _I_ think ahead! Unlike _you imbeciles,_ who have their heads so far up their ASS, that they can't do a SIMPLE JOB CORRECTLY!" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm surprised even _she_ was so dumb as to not put ANY VISUALS!"

"B-But sir, if M.A.N.I. found out, then he could easily track down the headquarters," one officer pointed out.

Boogie raised an eyebrow. "Good point," he said after a moment's hesitation. All the officers looked at each other in confusion, for it wasn't often that the crazy man dished out a compliment. "M.A.N.I. is a threat, and probably should be eliminated."

"It's a highly extensive computer system," one officer warned. "It won't be easy to just delete. It is Moonley Tech, after all."

Boogie snapped to attention, spinning to that officer. His yellow eyes flashed with anger, looking slightly green under the blue lights. "Did you say _Moonley_?"

No one knew his connection to Moonley Tech. Maybe he worked there before. Maybe he used their technology before. Maybe he even knew Luna Moonley. Whatever it was, the angry glare in his dangerous eyes showed that whatever relationship he served with Moonley Tech, it wasn't a good one.

"And she called it M.A.N.I.," Boogie mumbled, rubbing his chin and staring at the ground.

"S-Sir?" one officer whispered.

"I'll look into M.A.N.I.," Boogie snapped out it. "Everyone, back to work!"

Boogie turned, his black cape sweeping dramatically. He held out his hand and sand began to swirl around it. Black, shiny sand. It formed the shape of a small bird, and when it opened its eyes, they were as yellow as Boogie's.

"Find out if they have the boy," he whispered to the bird in his palm. "His name is Jackson Overland. Harm _no one_."

* * *

 **Theawesomest5:** I'll make the biggest of booms!

 **TheGhostSeeker:** Actually it is kinda inspired by Attack On Titan, but at the same time kinda not. You'll see ;)

 **Misaikoneho:** Yeah Fort Surrven is a no-go xD Heights, flying, and of course, dogs. Poor Bunny xD And yes, your guess was right but there is more to her than you think (MUAHAHAHA) Wow where you live is so much more exciting than Texas xD I don't even live near the water so MERP?!

 **You guys liking it so far? Any comments, questions, predictions? Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

"A _SCHOOL_?!" Bunny yelled as the whole group rushed through giant doors. A stampede of yellow-eyed people -what did Julia call them again? Nightmares?- was blocked as they all pushed their bodies against the door. Julia quickly broke apart from the group, leaving the rest to keep the door closed.

"It's very convenient," Julia stated plainly, walking towards a vending machine to the right of the doorway, her long black hair dancing with every motion. Jack swore this woman looked more like an ethereal being than human. She was beautiful, sure, but there was something unnatural about it.

"How did you even get IN here?!" Bunny asked, grunting and pushing harder against the door to keep it closed.

"I shot the locks," Julia waved her hand, motioning for them to move away from the door. When they did, she pushed the vending machine over it. Loud thumps let the group know that the Nightmares were trying to get in, but the vending machine left the door closed. "That's why I use this to block the door," she patted the side of the vending machine. "I unlocked a bunch of super helpful rooms. The nurse's office, the cafeteria, the teacher's lounge," she began to rattle off.

"It's quite a unique choice of shelter, Captain," Tooth stated, looking around at the main hallway, most of the lights still working.

"I thought it would work because, y'know, this whole thing started in the summer," Julia explained. "And all the schools were closed. I figured this place would have the least amount of infected people."

"That's a good point," North nodded. "There are many other uses for a school as well. If we can get a sample of black animals, we can study in a biology lab," he said. "Tooth is the science-y one, do you think you can do that?"

"Sure," Tooth shrugged.

"Well, first you should probably eat. How long were you guys in the fort?" Julia asked, leading them down the hallway.

"Not very long," Tooth said. "But we did take a plane ride here, and then a pretty long trek to the fort, so I'd say it has been a while since any of us have eaten."

As if on cue, Jack's stomach growled loudly. He bowed his head and blushed.

"Well, the cafeteria's food went bad a few years ago," Julia laughed. "But I've been raiding grocery stores and keeping them stored in there. Also, there's a coffee machine in the teacher's lounge!"

"Wait, how is the electricity still working?" Tooth asked skeptically. "Don't tell me you're _paying_ the bills?"

Julia tossed her head back and laughed. "Oh, no! I'm quite the mechanic, actually, I have an emergency power source installed in the principal's office. I only use power in the rooms I'm using, and it's lights out after 10 PM, and I try to avoid using it during the day and just use the sunlight through the windows. Saves the battery, you know?" she laughed. "I've only been in here for a few weeks, but I have structure."

"That's impressive, Captain," Bunny admitted, wandering around. "Gah- Sandy?!" he gasped, noticing the Guardian of North America making himself comfortable in a soft chair outside of the principal's office. Julia laughed again ( _she's full of laughter, isn't she,_ Tooth thought).

"It's alright, make yourselves at home!" Julia said. "I don't know how long you guys will be staying here, but I'm sure it's been a long day."

That's when Jack noticed how heavy his eyelids felt, and how he was practically leaning on his staff to stay upright. "What time is it?"

"It's 10:30 PM now," Julia said, checking her watch. "Lights out was a while ago, but I'll make an exception for you guys. Let's go to the caf?"

"Yeah!" Bunny cheered, his stomach rumbling. Sandy hopped out of his chair, tossing two thumbs up in agreement.

"I can go for a bite," North nodded.

"I'm going to just take a look around," Tooth smiled. "I'm not quite hungry yet, I want to go exploring. Ja- erm, Kyle, would you like to join me?"

 _Kyle? Who's- OH CRAP, I'M KYLE! RIGHT!_ "A-Ah, sure," Jack agreed before realizing how hungry he really was.

"There are couches in the teacher's lounge to sleep on, and there are beds in the nurses office. Nurse for the girls, teacher's lounge for the boys?"

"Sounds good," Bunny agreed as they all headed off to the cafeteria, following Captain Julia. Tooth grabbed "Kyle" by the wrist and dragged him off into the dark hallway, pulling a flashlight from her belt and flicking it on.

"Why me?!" Jack complained in a hissing whisper. "I'm hungry!"

"Here," Tooth dug a granola bar out of her pocket and shoved it into Jack's hands, which he dug into readily. "It's all too convenient," she continued as he ate. "She happens to be at the fort the same time we are, she happens to have some power for this place, it all falls into place too perfectly!"

"I dunno... why you don't... like the Captain," Jack said through bites of the granola bar. He swallowed. "She seems nice to me. She's letting us stay here."

"It's not that I don't like her," Tooth sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "There's just...something off about her. The fact that she works under the Guardian of South America is one thing."

"You know, you haven't talked about him very much. Any of you guys, really," Jack pointed out. "Who is he?"

"He was the newest out of all of us," Tooth sighed. "Your father, Thomas, he was supposed to be the Guardian of South America, but he disappeared so we had to pick a new one. The current one has never even _met_ your father."

 **If I may interject, Doctor.**

Tooth and Jack jumped, both looking down at their black gloves. "I forgot you could do that M.A.N.I.!" Tooth laughed with relief. "What is it?"

 **The Guardian of South America sends his regrets, wishing he could have joined you for the meeting in Philidelphia.**

"That's alright, I'm sure he's busy," Tooth said. "It was a last minute meeting, after all. Will he be joining us soon?"

 **He left his office a while ago with no intel on where he was going. He has not returned.**

"Hm," Tooth hummed, puckering her lips in thought. "Alright, well if he returns, could you tell him to contact us?"

 **Sure thing, Doctor!**

M.A.N.I. shut off, and Tooth looked back to Jack. "Huh. The General is missing, and we happen to run into his Captain."

"It's just a coincidence," Jack said. "Julia is _not_ bad." He laughed, ridiculing the idea of an evil person. "It's like a zombie apocalypse. No one is bad, humans should be united against a common enemy."

"Jack," Tooth smiled commonly. "You're adorable, you know that? But you're just a kid."

"I'm _fourteen_ ," Jack corrected.

"I'm thirty five," Tooth laughed. "You're a baby to me! But I understand what you're saying, and you may _think_ you're right. But the world isn't black and white like that. When humanity is pushed to its limit..." Tooth sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "You'd be surprised what some people could do."

Unsure of how to answer, Jack stared at the ground.

"We should head back before _they_ get suspicious of _us,_ " Tooth ruffled Jack's hair, and he laughed quietly.

"Uh, Tooth?" he cleared his throat. "Are you planning on telling the other Guardians?"

Tooth's jaw slid right and left, a habit of hers when she was deep in thought. "Not yet," she sighed. "I'll need more evidence, first. Let's go, I'm getting hungry."

* * *

"You can sleep on that bed, Doctor," Julia told Tooth, pointing to a bed. "I'll sleep in one in the room next door, holler if you need anything."

"Mhm," Tooth agreed quietly, putting her grappling hooks on the table. "Could I ask you a question, Captain?"

"Yeah?" Julia leaned against the doorway.

Tooth cleared her throat. "How come you were at the fort?" she asked without looking at her. "You said it was infested for weeks now."

"I wanted to check if any help had arrived," Julia responded. "A SOS signal had been sent out, but we don't know if it was prematurely interrupted. Luckily, I came while you guys were there, or General Bunnymund would have been a goner."

"I suppose that makes sense," Tooth spun around to smile kindly at Julia. "Thank you, again, for letting us stay here."

"No problem!" Julia smiled. Her face fell as she suddenly remembered something, and she rubbed at her arm consciously. "Um...could I ask you a question, Doctor?"

"Go right ahead," Tooth raised a curious eyebrow.

"Uh," Julia rubbed the back of her neck. "Why wasn't the General with you? Y-Y'know, the Guardian of South America. I haven't heard from him in a while, is he alright? Do you know where he is?"

"I'm afraid not," Tooth answered quietly. Julia sighed, but it sounded more like a sigh of relief than sadness. Tooth slowly crossed her arms. _What is it about this girl I don't like?_ "You're worried about him?"

"Yeah," Julia chuckled, tucking her black hair behind her ear. "I've always looked up to the General. My dad...wasn't in the picture, and I almost saw the General as a replacement," Julia laughed. "Silly, I know, he's my superior officer." Her head suddenly snapped up. "That's right, I never asked...why were you guys at Fort Surrven, anyway? I mean, don't you all have your own continents to take care of?"

 _There it is,_ Tooth thought. _I knew this question would come up._ "I'm afraid that's classified," she said when she couldn't come up with any other excuse.

"I understand. Is that all?" Julia asked.

"Yes," Tooth said, slipping off the M.A.N.I. glove.

"I think that's so cute," Julia gushed. "You all have matching gloves on your right hand! Well, I'll see you in the morning, Doctor," Julia smiled cheekily, closing the door. Tooth sat down on the bed and pinched the bridge of her nose, between her eyes.

Julia's smile fell as soon as the door closed, encasing her in darkness. She took her small keychain flashlight off of her belt and flicked it on, running her fingers through her long black hair and sighing. She heard tapping at the window and jumped, reaching for her gun as she turned.

A small, black bird with yellow eyes tapped once, twice.

 _Morse code!_ Julia recognized right away. She rushed over to the window and listened to the taps. _Short, long long long. J._ _Short, long. A._ _Long short long short. C. Long short long. K. Short short, long long, short short. Question mark._

 _Jack?_

Julia shook her head. There was no Jack here, as far as she knew. When she rescued Bunny, she only found the Guardians and Kyle Bunnymund. Where could have Jackson Overland gone? Was he with the president?

The bird tapped the window once in farewell before flying off again. Julia looked over her shoulder, pointing her flashlight down the dark hall, but no one was there. Frozen in her spot for just a moment, she tucked her hair behind her ear and retreated to her own room.

Her flashlight spotlighted a jacket laying on the bed. She trailed over to it and picked it up, pointing the light at the monogram on the chest.

 **E.J. Moonley**

She folded up the jacket quickly and tossed it in the corner, snarling. She set the flashlight on the desk and braided her black hair over one shoulder, sitting on the bed.

 _I'll find you, Thomas Overland,_ she thought as she laid down and let sleep take over.

* * *

Luna Moonley walked into her main building in Washington D.C.

President Bennett had been brought back to his hideout, and reunited with his children. Luna smiled sadly, remembering little Sophie and Jamie Jr. rushing to their dad, reaching out with those small hands, and cheering. The image of two, black-haired children flashed in her mind.

 **Welcome back, Miss Moonley.**

"Hello, M.A.N.I.," Luna sighed, setting her briefcase on her desk. "How are the Guardians doing in South America?"

 **To my knowledge, they met up with Captain Julia Hart, subordinate of the Guardian of South America.**

"Hm. Never heard of her," Luna stated, opening her briefcase and pulling out files. "The gloves are working fine?"

 **Yes! I hear everything that's going on.**

"Good, that's good."

M.A.N.I. hesitated -or, well, paused, considering he's a computer. **Is there something wrong, Miss Moonley? My voice recognition is picking up signs of sadness.**

Luna chuckled. "You are a technological miracle," she whispered before sighing. "Well, I just saw President Jamie's kids again."

 **Sophie and Jamie Junior.**

"Yes, them," Luna nodded. "They're so young! I remember when mine were that age," she sat on the desk and picked up a picture frame. In it was her, youthful and bright, with a five year old boy with messy black hair and a ten year old girl, grinning brightly, her black hair in a long braid. "E.J. is _twenty five_ now, M.A.N.I.! _Twenty five_!"

 **And Manny, the one you named me after. He would be twenty.**

Luna sighed. "Yes. He would be. My E.J. went missing so long ago," she said, setting the picture frame back down.

 **And Manny?**

Luna froze for a moment. "Him too. Both disappeared four years ago."

 **I am sorry.**

"It's alright! The Guardians will stop all of this nonsense, and my babies will come back to me," Luna said optimistically.

* * *

Tooth stared at the ceiling for a while, unable to sleep. "M.A.N.I.?" she whispered.

 **Hello!** M.A.N.I. cheered from the glove on the desk.

"Volume down," Tooth hissed worriedly. "Can you search the files of Captain Julia Hart?"

M.A.N.I. paused, searching his files. **Can you repeat the name, Doctor?**

"Captain Julia Hart," Tooth moved her lips slowly, enunciating.

 **That's what I thought you said, I've heard her name throughout the day, but I can't find any military files on her.**

Tooth shot up off of her bed in surprise. "What? How about personal files?"

Quiet, robotic 'bleeps' let her know that M.A.N.I. was searching. **None. It seems they've all been deleted.**

"How could she be in the military with no files?" Tooth mused under her breath. "Has the Guardian of South America made any notes about her?"

 **A few. August 14th, 2019: "I have decided to station the young Captain Julia Hart in Fort Surrven. She is to remain there for two weeks, and report of any suspicions." The rest is classified.**

"I am a Guardian, it cannot be classified to me!" Tooth whisper-yelled.

 **The rest is classified. You are not the highest in ranking.**

Tooth growled. "Get me in contact with the President!"

 **I'm afraid I cannot do that right now. Would you like me to leave a message?**

"I hate you, M.A.N.I.!" Tooth hissed.

 **Goodnight, Doctor.** With that, M.A.N.I. shut off. Tooth grumbled incoherent sentences under her breath with some words that children should not repeat, falling back down onto the bed and covering her eyes with her hands.

* * *

 **theawesomest5:** Lol yeah Tooth is always right xD

 **so in her own head:** Haha, Bunny's a wittle wimp xD Thanks for the cupcakes!

 **TheGhostSeeker:** Kinda kinda not xD Be prepaaaaaared (I have Lion King stuck in my head)

 **Misaikoneho:** No one likes Julia xD Maybe your wish will be granted...dundundun! Haha Booger I like it! The Philippines sound so crazy!

 _ **ANNOUNCEMENT TIME:**_

 **As I also mentioned in my other fic Identical Staffs, I will be going on a two week hiatus at the end of this week (summer camp whoo)! I have plans for both stories, and I'll try to work on some at camp (no electronics man, handwritten!) And I'll try to jump back in right when I get back. Will I be able to post another chapter? Maybe, but I wouldn't quote me on that.**

 **So if you could just patiently wait two weeks, that would be great!**

 **Predictions, comments, questions, criticisms, requests, human sacrifices? Let me know!**


	9. Chapter 9

"There are five Guardians," Boogie murmured while pacing. "General North, Doctor Anna, General Bunnymund, General Sanderson, and..." Boogie trailed off. "South America," he turned to the officers in front of them. "He is not interfering, not yet, at least. Each Guardian has a weakness, but some more vulnerable than others." Boggie sat in his chair, folding his hands. "We won't even try Sanderson. He's the smallest, but he's also the strongest. General North will also be a hard one, he has the Y.E.T.I. on his side, not to mention he's _incredibly_ stubborn. The Doctor is intelligent, very intelligent," he hissed. "There is no way she can fall for anything."

"That leaves Bunnymund," an officer said.

Boogie chuckled a low, malevolent chuckle. A chuckle that would erupt from the chest of a villain. "He's weaker than you make think," he said knowingly. "He may be strong physically, but I believe that he is mentally the weakest of the Guardians."

"Really?!" an officer gasp, studying the picture of the rough-and-tumble outback man on a monitor in the room. " _Him_ _?_ "

"Oh, yes," Boogie hissed. "Tricking him will be easy. Under that stubble, ponytail, muscle, and tattoos, there lies a mourning child," he chuckled, putting his hand on the monitor with the picture of Bunny. "Remember, he was one of the Pooka. He can be used." A dark look crossed over Boogie's face. " _He can be used_."

* * *

"G'morning," Bunny sat up off of the couch, rubbing his eyes. Jack was already wide awake, North was gone, and Sandy was pretty much always asleep. The lights flickered on as Julia turned on the power from the principal's office.

"Where's North?" Bunny asked, running his fingers through his sandy brown hair. With it out of its ponytail, it hung down to his shoulders.

"He went to help Julia with breakfast," Jack explained.

"Ye, the bloke loves to cook stuff," Bunny was still running his fingers through his tangled hair. He grabbed a hair tie and pulled his hair back. "I could eat a horse."

"Or a dog," Jack muttered quietly, but Bunny's unnatural hearing picked it up right away.

"Listen here, you brat-" he started before there was a knock on the door.

"Breakfast is ready!" Julia's cheerful voice came from the other side of the door. "Come to the cafeteria!"

"We'll be out in a tick!" Bunny called back before glaring at Jack. "You got lucky, mate."

"Ya got lucky, matey," Jack taunted.

"Australian!" Bunny rose to his feet. His blanket fell to the floor, revealing his bare chest and, once again, the strange tattoos. "Get that in yer head, mate, I'm not a pirate!"

"Whatever," Jack chuckled, grabbing his staff and bounding to the door. "Is he alright?" He pointed at Sandy. Bunny shrugged.

"He sleeps a lot, let 'im be. C'mon, brat, let's move," Bunny grabbed Jack by the top of his head and maneuvered him out the door.

* * *

When E. Aster Bunnymund and "Kyle Bunnymund" entered, North, Tooth, and Julia were already at work with their food.

"WOW!" Jack swooned, his brown eyes practically popping out of his head. The cafeteria table was littered with food. Small travel boxes of cereal (COCO KRISPIES! Jack mentally gasped), yogurt, coffee, orange juice, and -gasp- BACON! "I've never seen so much food in my life!" Jack gasped. It was obviously a hyperbole, but for four years the kid had been fending for himself, so he's grown skinny with the lack of food. For years, he had been living on a diet of granola bars, water bottles, and chips.

Tooth chuckled. "You're adorable, come sit down."

Jack's cheeks grew bright red. _I'm not adorable!_ The teen thought, offended. But he obeyed anyway, sitting down and grabbing the carton of orange juice.

"Sandy's still asleep," Bunny explained as he sat down, grabbing his own mug of steaming coffee. "What's the plan for today? We gunna go to the fort?"

"It'll be dangerous," Julia warned.

"Yes, we're going," Tooth shot a quick glare towards Julia, fast enough so only Jack would notice.

"We have to find out why-" Tooth slapped North on the arm, cutting him off.

"We shouldn't discuss this in front of them," she motioned to Julia, and then to Jack for good measure. She knew that Jack knew the reason, but as far as Julia knew, this information was classified and only accessible to Guardians, which "Kyle" is not.

"If you guys want to head back there, I suppose I can hotwire a school bus," Julia mused.

"You know how to do that?" Bunny almost choked on his coffee with surprise. "You have to show me, mate, I've always wanted to know how to hotwire a thing!"

"You can help me!" Julia said, playfully slapping Bunny on the arm.

"Alright, we have a plan," Bunny cheered. "Julia will hotwire us a school bus, and we'll head to the Fort this afternoon!" He grinned at Julia. "You're the best, sheila."

"Anything for friends of the General!" Julia high fived the Austrailian. Tooth shot a knowing look at Jack before clearing her throat.

"Well, why don't you two head on that then?"

* * *

The Guardian of South America, the General, stormed back into his office.

 **Welcome back, General,** M.A.N.I. said cheerfully.

"M.A.N.I."

 **I have some information that I think you would like to know.**

"Oh?" a small smirk twitched at the General's lips as he fell into his seat.

 **It is on Captain Julia Hart. She is still alive.**

"She went missing after the siege of Fort Surrven," the General hissed. "She left her post."

 **I am unable to get in direct contact with her, as I am only available to Guardians, but Doctor Anna had made some interesting searches.**

"Yes, I did hear from... _sources_ that she had found the Guardians."

 **Sir, the Doctor was searching for her records and found none.**

"That's not a surprise," the General rolled his eyes. "You know the truth of Hart's identity!"

 **The Doctor seems to be suspicious of the Captain.**

"She is smart..." the General's fingers danced along his lips as he thought. "I didn't realize she would be this much of a threat."

 **A threat to what, sir?**

"Nothing!" the General snapped. "It is no concern of yours, _computer_!"

 **The Guardians are in South America, General,** M.A.N.I. **Would you be planning on joining them.**

"No, no, I have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. Like on the account of that Overland boy. He could be the key to finding Thomas."

 **I am under the impression that B.L.A.C.C. is also looking for Jackson Overland, but to no avail.**

"I'm aware, M.A.N.I., I have more sources beyond you," the General hissed. "I just came in to pack up a few things. I'll be leaving for a while."

 **You seem to be doing that a lot, sir. Is there any particular reason to that?**

"A Guardian is always busy," the General said absentmindedly, shoving papers into files. "The Lieutenant will be taking over my duties for the time being."

 **With all due respect, General, you cannot just leave your post-**

"M.A.N.I., there are some things a computer can not comprehend," the General hissed. "Luna made you brilliantly, but this is beyond your numbers and calculations. This is the matter of humanity's survival."

 **The Guardian's sole purpose is to protect humanity's survival.**

"Yes," a dark look crossed the General's face as he opened the door. "I'm well aware of that."

The door slammed shut behind him.

* * *

"Can I ask you something, General Bunnymund?" Julia asked from under the hood of the school bus, balancing on a small ladder.

The two were outside in the parking lot, the morning sun beating down on them. Julia was digging around the hood of the school bus, messing with the wires and trying to fix the engine, while Bunny was on watch for any Nightmares, sitting in the driver's seat, his Bushmaster at the ready.

"Go for it," Bunny said. "And you don't have to be so formal, ya know. I'm not exactly like the other military blokes."

"I can tell," Julia laughed. "What...what do you think of Doctor...what do you call her again?"

"Tooth?" Bunny questioned. "What do ya mean, what do I think of her? She's a surprisingly fantastic mechanic, as well as a brilliant scientist," Bunny said. "But why are ya askin'?"

Julia hesitated. "I dunno, I just get this vibe that she doesn't like me," she said, tugging on the knob of the transmission fluid container. A long, thin metal stick, the dipstick, came out and she checked the oil stains. "Still full, that's good," she mumbled to herself.

"Well, if Toothy is anything, it's paranoid," Bunny chuckled. "She's not quick to trust, but I'm sure you two will get along fine. After all, I like you, and I have great taste in people." He grinned cheekily, and Julia laughed.

"I'm glad you do. But, last night, she was doing something...strange," Julia said, pushing the transmission fluid dipstick back in.

"Strange?"

Julia poked her head around the bus, looking up at Bunny with wide, gray eyes. "Promise you won't tell anyone? You won't repeat a word?"

Bunny ran his fingers across his lips, like he was zipping them shut.

"She was looking out a window..." Julia whispered. "And she was looking at this...yellow-eyed bird. It tapped on the glass, and she shook her head-" Julia shook her head in demonstration. "-and it flew off."

"Hm," Bunny leaned back in the seat. "You sure this wasn't just a dream?"

"I'm sure," Julia nodded. "It was weird."

"Maybe I should ask her-"

"You promised you wouldn't tell! I'm just being paranoid," Julia pouted. Bunny studied the woman's face before grinning.

"It's our little secret."

* * *

 **Theawesomest5:** Julia is a baddie ;) Yes, cool guys don't look at explosions!

 **Merlia W:** EJ is a girl. Those are some very interesting and smart suspicions you have there ;)

 **Misaikoneho:** Everyone is after Thomas Overland, it seems xD Lol, still not over Boogerman! Thanks for patiently waiting through the hiatus!

 **Dragongirl:** Cupid is not in this story, unfortunately :( See, Tooth is smart, and didn't trust Julia from the start! YAY FOR TOOTH!

 **Thanks for bearing with me through the hiatus guys, but we're BACK IN BUSINESS! Sorry this chapter was so short, but I wanted to get back up as soon as possible! Thanks for reviewing, let me know if you have any complaints, compliments, or criticism!**

 **I'M BACK BABY!**

 ***explosion***


	10. Chapter 10

"Transmission fluid, good," Julia mumbled, her head still in the hood of the bus. "Oil, good. Break fluids, good. Crankshafts, working."

"Bunny, bored," the Austrailian joked from the driver's seat.

"Everything should be good!" Julia called. "Let 'er rip!"

Bunny turned the key in the ignition.

The engine started, and Julia stumbled back from the school bus with surprise. "I did it!"

"You did it!" Bunny hopped out of the bus, holding onto the strap of his Bushmaster.

"I hotwired a school bus!" Julia laughed, high-fiving Bunny. "Scratch that one of the bucket list, eh?"

"You are, officially, the coolest sheila I've met," Bunny said, fully sincere.

"Really? You're a Guardian, you've probably met cooler," she poked him on the arm before removing the hair tie from her hair and undoing the long black braid.

"Not really," Bunny winked down at her. "Now c'mon, we should probably tell the others the good news. We're headed back to Fort Surrven!"

"So what is it you're looking for at Fort Surrven? It's a small military base in South America in the middle of nowhere, I don't understand why such big-time military commanders are so interested in it."

"Oh, well-" Bunny was about to explain before he cut himself off. "I- Uh- Sorry, I can't tell you. It's kinda a secret for now."

"Oh, that's alright," Julia's face fell slightly, but she obviously tried to hide it. "I was just hoping to stay on the same page, you know?" she smiled sadly, the corners of her lips twitching. "I feel like I'm sort of useless around here. Everyone's so special, and on some special mission, and I don't want to be getting in the way-"

"You're not getting in the way!" Bunny gasped. "You saved us from the Nightmare infestation at Surrven! You gave us shelter while we're here, and you got us a school bus!" Bunny waved towards the vehicle. "Sure, it's not the badass, apocalypse movie cliche vehicle, it's a bright orange nerd-mobile, but it'll move us!"

Julia laughed. "Thanks, General."

"Seriously, mate, call me Aster," Bunny put one hand on Julia's head. "And trust me, I wish I could tell you everything. And maybe someday the president will authorize the release of the information."

"As long as you let me keep helping you, everything will be fine," Julia put her hand on top of his on top of her head, smiling kindly, her pale cheeks turning a light shade of red. Bunny smirked awkwardly.

"Let's get inside," he said, patting her back and steering her back to the school. Julia smiled and let him lead the way. As Bunny turned his back to her, however, the corners of her lips twitched, and the smile faded.

* * *

Tooth and Jack sat in Tooth's 'bedroom' in the nurse's ex-office. "You know, Bunny seems to be getting pretty close with Captain Julia already," Jack pointed out. "She did save his life back at Fort Surrven. Maybe you're just being paranoid."

"I know, I know," Tooth fell back into her chair, rubbing her forehead and sighing. "But there's something off about her, I just know it!"

"She's part of the military, she works with your friend!" Jack said.

"I know!" Tooth groaned. "But she's asking a lot of questions..."

"She's curious about why a bunch of fancy military officers are suddenly interested in Fort Surrven. I'd be asking questions too!"

"You _know_ it's because of the clue on your father's desk. Why else would he have a paper with the name of that fort written on it? I have a feeling there is something important in Surrven. And my instincts are rarely ever wrong."

"Like your instincts about Captain Julia?"

"Jack!" Tooth hissed. "I'd like to leave this place before the Captain gets any more involved than she already is. Once they get that bus ready, we're getting into the Fort, finding any connections with your dad, and getting out."

"Right," Jack sighed.

Tooth smiled sadly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid, this is all to find your dad. We don't need anyone else getting involved, especially with B.L.A.C.C. looking for the same thing. You never know when they're listening."

"I still don't get this B.L.A.C.C. junk. Why do they even want my father?!" Jack asked. "I feel like I still don't understand anything!"

"I know that it must be annoying!" Tooth sighed. "I still really don't understand the half of it. All I know is that your dad is M.I.A.-"

"Huh?"

"Missing in Action. I know that he's M.I.A. and that the president really wants to find him because B.L.A.C.C. wants to. Most of this is just following orders."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jack said. "But what about the other Guardians? Are you planning on telling them about your suspicions? Where _are_ they anyway?"

* * *

North and Sandy were cleaning up the cafeteria, and something was quite obviously bothering the bigger man. Sandy gently pat North on the arm.

"Is it that obvious?" he laughed insincerely. "Yeah, I've been feeling a little weary about the others. It seems that Tooth has been acting strangely."

Sandy nodded, moving his hands in sign language. _I've noticed that too._

"I do not know what is wrong," North shook his head as he scrubbed down the table with a sponge. "We are on big lead with Jack here now, and the clue about Fort Surrven. I don't know why she would be on edge."

 _Would it have something to do with Jack?_

"That did cross my mind, _da_ ," North nodded. "But I see the way she behaves around Captain Julia," he tapped his finger near his eye for emphasis. "I think it is something about her."

 _That she's not a Guardian?_

Their conversation was cut off as both Captain Julia and Bunny walked in. "The bus is all ready to take you guys back to Surrven!" Julia cheered.

"That is great news!" North exclaimed. "We should go let Tooth and Ja- ehem, Kyle, know!"

"Where are those two, anyway?" Bunny asked, looking around the cafeteria. "Why do those do always sneak off?"

* * *

Readers, we're probably asking the same questions as Julia and Jack were.

Can someone PLEASE give us an explanation?

Thomas Overland mysteriously disappears, B.L.A.C.C. mysteriously wants to find him, they find a mysterious clue on Thomas Overland's desk leading them to a random fort in South America. Not to mention there's the deal with the Guardian of South America's identity. And what's up with Julia? And where does Luna Moonley fit in all of this?

Why does B.L.A.C.C. want Thomas Overland so badly?

Boogie, with his sweeping black cape, stormed into his headquarter's main office. "THE BIRD CAME BACK!" he yelled, the black bird perched on his shoulder.

"S-Sir!" an officer gasped, not expecting his boss to storm in so suddenly. The other officers quickly quieted down, all of them spinning in their chairs to face Boogie.

"It came back," Boogie held out his hand, and the bird landed in his palm. "The Captain says that the Overland boy isn't there! I want surveillance on them, NOW!"

"We can't, sir," the officer objected. "M.A.N.I. would sense them."

"Damn Moonley Tech. If I could only get access to the Noetic Intelligence, I could shut it down. But the only one who could do that is Luna Moonley."

"Did you get any other information?" the officer asked.

"No," Boogie glared at the computer screen. "Get out."

"H-Huh?"

"GET OUT!" Boogie ordered, pointing at the door, the officer, along with the few others that were in the main office, quickly scrambled out the door. As soon as the door slammed shut, Boogie turned back to the computer. His black cape swayed at the motion as he slammed his hands down on the desk.

"Activate M.A.N.I. system."

 **I'm afraid I'm going to need vocal recognition.**

"You know who I am," Boogie hissed as calmly as he could as the computer recorded his voice.

The machine beeped. Boogie pressed his hand down and his palm got scanned. It didn't take long for the advanced program to log in.

 **Access granted.** M.A.N.I. said.

By now, readers, I would expect a surprised gasp, along with whispers, to rustle throughout the audience. How on Earth did Boogie get access to M.A.N.I., a computer system accessible only to the Guardians, the president, and Luna Moonley? Did he somehow break into the software? Or is M.A.N.I. not what he seems?

 _If I ask to access the Guardian's accounts, it'll surely alert them, or I won't be able to get in at all!_ Boogie thought. "Where is your central hard drive unit?"

 **That information is not accessible for your rank.**

Boogie hissed. "What rank is it accessible for?"

 **Only Miss Luna Moonley can know the location of my central hard drive unit.**

"Not even the president?!" Boogie gasped.

 **No. Is there anything else you need?**

"Are the Guardian's accounts accessible for me?"

 **Only if you alert them, sir.**

Boogie banged his hands on the table once more. "Enough! I've heard enough! Shut down!"

 **Goodbye.**

The whirring sound let Boogie know that M.A.N.I. was shutting down. He grumbled under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Only Luna Moonley has access to the damn thing's hard drive unit. If I can get that, I can get all of the Guardian's accounts! And then I can know the location of the Overland boy," he mumbled. "And with him, I can find Thomas Overland..." he trailed off, noticing the black bird still on his shoulder. He held out his hand and, once again, had the bird land in his palm. "I have a few connections to Luna Moonley...but none that I can use at this moment," he whispered to the bird. He raised an eyebrow. "Well, there is one- no, she's gone right now. I can't have her leave her post." The bird tweeted, looking up at its master with wide yellow eyes. "Besides, I highly doubt _she_ will know about the unit's whereabouts...no, I need another way to find it." He looked back down at the bird. "Just another thing to add to my to-do list. But it'll all be worth it, when I find Thomas Overland and finish what he's started!" Boogie growled as his fist tightened around the bird, making it explode into lifeless black sand that floated to the ground from in between the cracks of his fingers. "The experiment is nearly complete."

* * *

 **Sorry, this one is short!**

 **Recap: Julia and Bunny got the bus working, Tooth is still suspicious, and Boogie somehow got access to M.A.N.I.**

 **So in her own head:** Julia? Heck yeah she's a liar n.n lol glad you like it though!

 **Theawesomest5:** Haha sorry about that I was on hiatus for a while xD But now that summer is over, I'll probably update a lot more often.

 **Merlia W:** I'm glad you like M.A.N.I.! xD poor computers, always so easy to manipulate

 **Misaikoneho:** I was thinking more mentally when calling Bunny weak. He really is strong, but when you look at the rest of the Guardians he probably is the weakest one mentally. Not only does he have a "rabbit-like" mentality, anxious and all, but he also has a backstory with the Pooka stuff that I'll get into in the story. He seemed to be the easiest for Julia to manipulate, considering that Tooth is the suspicious one, Sandy is quiet but smart, North may not seem like it but I headcanon that he's very smart, wise beyond his years kind of way, and she has no interest in "Kyle Bunnymund". I'm glad you like Julia though! She's a problematic fave xD

 **CrazyCrapInc:** MUAHAHAHA there is no one you can trust in this story!

 **Glad you guys liked it! I'll try to update quicker now, with this and IdentiStaffs! There's still a mystery to be solved here, people! Let me know your critiques, comments, predictions, or anything you'd like! If you're just starting school, I'm in the same boat, so feel free to complain ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

Julia Hart stepped out of the school, trailed by the Guardians and Jack, After making sure the parking lot was free of Nightmares, she led them to the running school bus and slid into the driver's seat. "Should we let her drive?" Tooth whispered so only Jack could hear.

Bunny purposefully sat in the seat behind the bus driver, leaning over so he and Julia can carry on their conversation. Each Guardian took their own seat so, following their example, Jack sat by himself, behind everyone else.

"Off to Fort Surrven!" Julia announced cheerfully as she began to pull out. Jack took a look around, at Bunny's Bushmaster, at Tooth's high-tech grappling hooks, North's GIANT flame-thrower, -which, if Jack remembered correctly, was called Shmel- and at Sandy's packs of ammo. Looking at his wimpy staff, Jack suddenly felt grossly and embarrassingly underdressed.

He didn't have time to question his importance before the ever-silent Sandy turns in his seat to give the boy a friendly, encouraging smile. When the small man turned away again, Jack slumped in his chair. _That man is like a mind reader!_ he thought to himself.

The bus bounced along the now gravel road as they entered the woods. The unbuckled passengers were knocked around, grunting and groaning as the bus messily rattled down the path.

"Just a few more minutes," Julia said, her voice shaking as her seat vibrated.

Tooth looked back at Jack to make sure he was okay. When she saw the boy was smiling while bouncing, she couldn't help but grin as well.

Julia pulled into the seemingly abandoned fort. "We have to be more prepared this time," North said. "We can't just go rushing in. Bunny and I, take the right building. Ja- ahem, _Kyle_ and Sandy will take the left. Sandy is the fittest to protect Kyle, after all. That leaves Julia, Tooth, you guys get the center building."

Tooth's eyes widened, and her mouth opened to protest, but Julia shot the Doctor a wide grin. "It'll be fun! Go Girl Club!"

"Yeah," Tooth mumbled, less enthusiastic than her partner. "Girl Club."

"Take out any Nightmares you see," North ordered, standing and grabbing his flamethrower. "We all know what we're looking for," he glanced over at Julia, the only one left in the dark. "Anything connected wit-"

"North!" Tooth snapped, jerking her head in Julia's direction.

Julia stared at North expectantly. Bunny nodded viciously while Tooth shook her head in the same manner. Jack retracted into his seat nervously. North turned to Sandy for any help, but the only thing the mute man had for him was a smile and a shrug.

"Can we trust you, Captain Hart, to not tell anyone of our mission?" North asked.

"NORTH!" Tooth practically screamed.

Julia saluted seriously. "You have my word. I did work under the Guardian of South America, after all. I understand how important your work is."

"We're looking for clues to Thomas Overland's disappearance," North explained, much to Tooth's dismay (the poor woman was practically melting in her seat). "Recent discoveries led us to this fort, so we're here to find anything connected to him."

"That's what you guys are doing?!" Julia gasped. "That's the big secret? I thought that you guys had been doing that all along!"

"You knew?!" Tooth choked, spinning to Jack with a look that screamed _I TOLD YOU!_

Julia shrugged. "I didn't _know_ , it was just an assumption. A guess, actually. When I worked under the Guardian of South America, I learned a bit about Thomas Overland, but the General never actually met him, so I don't know much."

"Overland was the Guardian of South America before him. The General replaced him after he went missing, it makes sense that they've never met," North said.

"Julia, you worked at this fort," Bunny pointed out, overly eager that his new friend can finally be let in on the secret mission. "Is there anything you know that could somehow be connected to Overland? Any records, maybe?"

Julia shook her head. "Not that I can remember, sorry."

"Enough with the chit-chat," North ordered. "Guardians -and Kyle and Captain- move out!"

* * *

Tooth lead Julia into the center building, having a pistol loaded and ready in her hand.

"We should be quiet," she whispered to the Captain. "In case there are any Nightmares in here still."

"Ok," Julia agreed in a quiet voice.

"Is there anything in here I can use to find records?" Tooth asked, not wanting to directly ask M.A.N.I. (Though it would have been easier.) North may have trusted Julia with the mission objective, but she still won't let her know about their computer system.

"I wasn't in here for that long, I wouldn't know," Julia answered. "Sorry."

"That's alright..." Tooth mumbled, uncertain if the Captain was telling the truth. She pushed open a door to a room full of computers, sitting in rows on long, white tables.

"Guess this is as good a place as any," Tooth sighed, sliding her finger onto the trigger and slowly entering the room.

With an animal-like shriek, a person charged at her from the corner.

"AH!" Tooth shot their shoulder, not wanting to kill a possibly innocent person. The attacker, a Hispanic woman with unnaturally bright yellow eyes, hissed as the bullet went into her flesh, stumbling backward.

"Lieutenant Maria!" Julia recognized her, pulling out her gun and shooting her in the head. The Nightmare Lieutenant collapsed against the wall, dead. For real this time, not that fake Nightmare-mode dead.

"You knew her?" Tooth studied the dead Nightmare with curiosity.

"Only a little, in my few days stationed here," Julia shrugged, putting away her pistol. "It's still sad though. But you can probably find anything you want in here," she motioned to the computer.

"Yeah, alright," Tooth agreed, sliding into the seat to a computer.

"Do you know how to get in?" Julia asked, looking over Tooth's shoulder.

Tooth thought for a second. "I do if you close your eyes," she answered sharply.

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

Julia complied, covering her eyes. Once Tooth was certain she wasn't looking, she held the black M.A.N.I.-gloved hand on top of the power box. "Can you get us in?" she whispered to the glove. "Quietly?"

M.A.N.I. didn't respond, but words were typed into the password box automatically. Tooth quickly retracted the glove. "You can look now."

Julia uncovered her eyes. "You're in!" she gasped, making sure to stay hushed. "How?"

"Guardian secret," Tooth said bluntly, fingers dancing across the keyboard. **Thomas Overland**

 **INSERT ACCESS CODE** flashed across the screen.

"Dang it!" Julia hissed. "We can't get his records."

"Sure we can," Tooth said, her suspicion growing at the sudden surrender of the usually cheerful girl. "I can put in my Guardian code. It should work for these records, probably, hopefully, maybe," she explained as she typed.

 **ACCESS GRANTED**

Files spotted the screen, but all were gray except for one, dated **September 20th**. _The day he disappeared from the military,_ Tooth noted.

"Why can you only access this one?" Julia asked, pointing to the colored file.

"I don't know," Tooth didn't like to admit. "But it's from the day he went off the grid. Let's check it out."

She opened the file, which only had one document. The document, however, was not a report like most military documents. This one only had five words, all capitalized, bolded, italicized, and underlined.

 _ **FIND THE LAB. PASS: KELLS**_

"Pass Kells? What does that mean?" Tooth asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "And lab? Did he have a lab? Or he was looking for a lab?" Tooth, as the intelligent girl she was, hated not understanding something.

Julia was an intelligent girl too, however. Standing behind the seat, she looked at the screen, the brightness reflecting in her colorless eyes. Slowly, they trailed from the screen to Tooth, emotionless and cold gray orbs.

Her smile faded into a scowl, and her fingers brushed the holster of her gun.

"Whatever it is, it's a clue," Tooth said, spinning to Julia, who instantly slapped a small smile on her face and whipped her hand off of the holster.

"Let's write it down," Julia pulled a pad of paper out of her back pocket. "In case of emergencies," she waved it with a big grin before scribbling the message down. "There we go!"

"There has to be more, why can't I access any more?!" Tooth groaned. "Captain Hart, close your eyes again."

"Again? What are you doing?" Julia asked.

"Just do it!"

Julia slapped her hands back over her eyes, and Tooth held her gloved wrist to her mouth. "Quiet, M.A.N.I. Can you access any more of Thomas Overland's files?"

 **You are not authorized for that information.**

"What was that voice?!" Julia gasped, nearly peeling her hands off of her eyes.

"Shush! Plug your ears! And...go to the other side of the room! That's an order!" Tooth snapped.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Julia rushed over to the other side of the room, facing the wall and plugging her ears. However, her eyes were wide open, and glaring daggers at the wall.

"How am I not authorized?!" Tooth hissed at the glove. "Let me in, M.A.N.I.!"

 **You are not authorized, Doctor.**

"I'm a Guardian and so was Overland!" Tooth brought her other fist down onto the desk. "I should not be left out of his information!"

 **With all due respect, Doctor, Overland was also the founder of the Guardians. He is of higher rank than you.**

Julia's fingers hovered right beside her ears, pretending to not be listening. Staring at the wall, she mouthed words to herself. _What is that voice?_

"Dammit," Tooth hissed. "Whatever, I have this," she closed out of the document. "Julia, you can come back!"

Julia rushed back over. "Assuming I'm not allowed to ask what you just did..."

"You're not," Tooth said sharply. "Come on."

"We're bringing the information back to General North?" Julia asked.

"We can skim for some more information. Thomas Overland was here, and there are more clues than just this, there's just got to be!" Tooth said stubbornly, storming out of the computer room. "He said that the fort was important, there has to be more than this!"

"Maybe he wanted it to kind of be like a scavenger hunt," Julia guessed. "Leaving clues in different places leading to him."

"This isn't a GAME!" Tooth yelled.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Julia instantly flinched away. "I was just trying to...just trying to help..."

"Well, stop trying," Tooth hissed between clenched teeth. "This is way past your rank." She spun on her heel and began to stomp down the hallway.

Julia growled, clenching her fists. "You can stop acting like I don't matter," she mumbled. "I'm friends with the Guardian of South America, I am not ignorant about these things! I CAN HELP!"

Tooth sighed, stopping in her tracks. "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry, Cap-" she turned to apologize, but a room caught her eye. The door was labeled **Uniforms**

"Julia," she pointed at the room. "Could anything be in there?"

"I don't know," Julia glanced at the door. "Why? It's just where they keep the coats and- oh."

"Come on!" Tooth shook the doorknob to make sure it was unlocked. She entered what look like a big closet. "Wow, this really is a small fort. Not much money must go to its maintenance," she observed. As a Guardian, a lot of money was put to their cause. Most of her military experience has been with expensive equipment, fancy offices, and fantastic pay. She wasn't used to the military being taken so...unseriously.

"A, B, C, D," Tooth mumbled, walking down the hall and checking out the letters. "O!" she finally stopped, and there was only one jacket under the letter O. "Oh, please be him, please be him!" She yanked the jacket off the hanger and checked the monogram on the chest. "Thomas Overland! Yes!" she whispered with victory. She rummaged through the pockets, pulling out a small slip of paper. "135 Prado Calle?"

"That's a street name," Julia recognized the Spanish. "But there's no town! How are we going to find Prado Calle?"

"I don't know, but it may be where this lab is," Tooth glanced back at the pad of paper that said the message. She folded up the paper from Overland's pocket and stuffed both that and the pad of paper into her pocket. "This is all I can find. He didn't leave anything else in here, but that's smart," Tooth did one last pat down of the jacket before turning to Julia. "Alright, we should go bring this all back."

* * *

"New plan, guys," Boogie announced as he walked out of his main office. The random officers scattered in the hallway saluted. Their leader stood in front of them, his black cloak looking almost purple under the blue LED lights, and his yellow eyes a devilish green. "I want all the information you can gather on Moonley Tech."

"What about-" one officer started.

"She's not an option!" Boogie snapped. "She's not leaving her post, we may not have another chance LIKE this!"

"Yes, sir," the officer answered meekly.

"If we can find M.A.N.I.'s hard drive unit, we can get into the Guardian's accounts, we may be able to find Jackson Overland, and maybe even accounts of Thomas Overland himself," Boogie explained. "But the hard drive's location is only known to one person. Luna Moonley. I want intel and I want it now! Miss Moonley had her own connections to Thomas Overland, maybe we'll be so lucky as to find out what they are," under his hood, a sly smile peeled across his lips, his white, sharp teeth glinting in the dim lights. "DISMISSED!"

* * *

 **YAY**

 **:** Julia seems nasty, doesn't she? xD But everyone has their reasons, including her.

 **Misaikoneho:** We'll learn about the Pookas and Bunny's past eventually, don't worry! I'm glad you like it! Bunny has his reasons for being mentally weak ;) DUN DUN DUUUUUN

 **Hey guys, just remember that reviews are what keep an author going. If you like a story, please review! It's very encouraging, and I'm really excited for some crazy turns this story will take soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

Jack awkwardly shuffled behind Sandy as they walked through the plain gray, dark hallways. Jack jumped every time he heard scratches behind the wall. He stopped in his tracks and looked around nervously. The Guardian in front of him continued walking on. The scratches grew louder and sounded like they multiplied. Jack opened his mouth to call out, but hesitated. He couldn't help it, he felt awkward speaking to the mute General he had just met. "S-Sandy?"

The small man halted, staring at the bottom of the wall. Suddenly, he whipped out a gun and fired a single shot. Jack tensed up as Sandy rushed to the hole and pulled out his target, a fat Nightmare rat.

Ignoring the awe-stricken Jack, Sandy crouched by the mouse hole, pushing the carcass out of the way. Despite the dangers, the man pressed his face to the wall, peeking into the hole. He turned to Jack and started to sign things with his hands. "I-I still can't understand you," Jack said desperately. Sandy thought for a moment before snapping his fingers and pulling out a pen. He looked around for something to write on before surrendering and scribbling on the gray wall. Jack squinted, barely able to make out the pen on the dark wall.

"Infestation," he read. "You think that a military fort fell because of a rat infestation?!"

Sandy nodded seriously.

"Doesn't the military have equipment to get rid of them? Or at least Rat Poison?"

Sandy turned to write on the wall again. **Poor fort, not much $**

"Good point," Jack said before being interrupted by loud scratching sounds. "There are more!" he exclaimed.

Sandy slapped his hand over Jack's mouth, eyes darting around. The scratching stopped, and Jack felt a strong gaze at the back of his head. Slowly, Sandy and Jack turned in unison.

Behind them was hundreds and hundreds of yellow-eyed rats.

"CrrrraaaaAAAAAA _AAAAPPPPPPP!_ " Jack spun on his heels and booked down the hall. Sandy's rapid gunshots rattled the walls, as well as Jack's eardrums. The boy skid to a stop when he saw a dark figure walking towards him from the other end of the hallway, head bowed.

"H-Hey..." Jack stuttered, holding onto his staff protectively. The person's head snapped up, revealing two glowing yellow eyes. "Crud," Jack groaned as the Nightmare sprinted towards him. "Oh no you don't!" he swerved around them, dancing delicately on the tips of his toes, and brought his staff down on their head. The man fell to the ground with a THUD, his blood staining the wood on Jack's staff. "HA!" the boy laughed, raising his fists in victory. "Take that, you stupid Night-!"

The victory was short-lived as two other infected military officers sneaked up from behind and grabbed his arms, knocking his staff out of his hand. Jack screamed and thrashed as they gripped his wrists and shoulders tightly. "Sandy! SANDY!" he cried out in terror as one dug its fangs into his shoulder, piercing both sweatshirt and flesh.

Sandy spun away from the rats and took out both Nightmares in two gunshots. Jack collapsed to his knees, doubling over and clutching his shoulder in pain. _If he finds out that I got bit and didn't transform_ , _I'm screwed!_ he thought.

 **Jackson Overland, I sensed a moment of unconsciousness, lasting for 3.465 seconds.**

"AH!" Jack jumped slightly as a robotic voice spoke up. He looked down at the black glove. "M.A.N.I.?! You can activate on your own?!"

 **I am also sensing a rapid increase in heart rate.**

"Wait, are you saying I fainted?!"

 **For 3.465 seconds, yes.**

 _I must have blacked out for a few seconds,_ Jack thought, looking up to see that Sandy was indeed in a different position, fighting off more rats that were advancing on him quickly. _That's trippy._ He looked at the ground. _Huh. Was that always there?_ he mentally inquired, staring at a small patch of ice on the ground. His reflection stared back up at him with sparkling blue eyes. _Crap!_ he thought, covering his eyes with his gloved hand and leaning back. _If Sandy saw me with blue eyes he'd know something's up!_ Jack groaned, but cut himself off, slowly looking at his injured shoulder. Blood stained his torn sweatshirt, but no more fresh blood was coming out. In fact, the wound felt...numb.

Jack reached up and pulled his sleeve down, revealing his pale shoulder. An ice coating covered the wound, stopping the bleeding.

"A-Ah...ahh..." Jack wanted to scream, but sounds barely came out of his mouth. "Okay, that's new," he whispered. "M.A.N.I., what's going on?"

 **I do not know.**

"How do you know know, you're a computer!" Jack snapped.

 **There is nothing in my database about this, Jackson Overland. I am sorry.**

"Yeah," Jack scoffed, looking back at his reflection on the circle of ice on the ground. Two brown eyes looked back up at him. "Well, at least my eyes are back to normal." He suddenly noticed the lack of loud gunshots, and turned to see Sandy pressing his ammo box on the ground, struggling to keep it still. He was surrounded by hundreds of rat carcasses. "Woah!" Jack gasped, leaping to his feet and rushing to the man. "You annihilated them!"

Sandy flashed a humble smile, nodding down at the box.

"You trapped one?! Why?!"

Sandy just winked, giving him a look that read _trust me_.

Jack sighed. "Alright, should we be getting back to the bus?"

Sandy's eyes rested on Jack's bloodstained shoulder and widened, his jaw dropping. With one hand on the box, he moved his other hand to the holster of his gun. Jack's hands shot up defensively.

"N-NO! I didn't get bit!" _Good going, Jack, how are you going to get out of THIS one?!_ "It was just a little accident with the...the..." _Think, knucklehead, think!_ "STAFF!"

Sandy raised his eyebrows.

 _Crap on a cracker._ "M-My staff," Jack nodded. _No going back now._ "It snapped when I was fighting those Nightmares and I accidentally...stabbed myself?" _Way to go, you lump, he's never going to believe you!_

Sandy studied the boy's deep brown eyes and released his gun, nodding for Jack to go get the staff across the hallway, and then jerking his chin towards the exit to indicate that they should leave.

"R-Right! I'll go get it," Jack declared, rushing over to the staff. "Crap," he looked down at his go-to weapon during this whole apocalypse fiasco. "Sorry, staff," he whispered, slowly picking it up. It felt smooth and familiar in his hands. He turned to make sure Sandy wasn't looking before releasing a deep breath and bringing the staff down on his knee.

CRAAAAACK!

* * *

"Bunny."

"It's Aster, mate," Bunny corrected begrudgingly as he and North strolled through the right building of Fort Surrven.

"Right, okay," the big man chuckled. "Is something on your mind, my friend?"

"No, just tired is all. Not used to sleeping in a teacher's lounge in the middle of Nowheresville, South America," Bunny chuckled lamely.

"Is it something about Captain Hart?"

Bunny tensed up, and North smirked. "So I was right," he said, not surprised.

"Back off, mate."

"What's wrong?"

Bunny rolled his eyes, but with a sharp tug on his ponytail from North he complied. "We were talkin' while she was fixin' up the bus..."

"Yes...and...?" North urged.

 _"Tooth was looking out a window..." Julia whispered. "And she was looking at this...this yellow-eyed bird. It tapped on the glass, and she shook her head... and it flew off."_

"Tooth doesn't like her that much, does she?" Bunny muttered.

North couldn't hold back an outburst of laughter. "Yes, well, I don't think you have to worry about that. Toothy can get paranoid about a lot of things, Bunny, you know that."

"I know..." Bunny trailed off again.

 _"Promise you won't tell?"_

 _Bunny studied Julia's face before grinning. "It's our little secret."_

"Trust is an...annoying thing, mate," Bunny groaned. "I wish everyone could just trust everyone, all the time."

North chuckled. "You may act like a tough outback man, Bunny, but you are a real softie!" he slapped the man on the back. Bunny laughed uncertainly, rubbing the spot.

"No, no, I'm not soft!"

"Yes you are!" North teased. "Like a little fluffy-"

"Don't you dare-"

"BUNNY!"

"UGH!" Bunny threw his arms in the air. "I give _up_!"

"You say that a lot," North smirked.

* * *

"Looks like nobody else is back yet," Julia commented as she and Tooth walked back to the school bus.

"I just hope the others found something," Tooth sighed. "This clue isn't much help. 135 Prado Calle," she mumbled, having the address memorized by now.

"It is something, though," Julia said positively. "You did the best you could, remember?"

"I just have the feeling that this could be a big break if I could just understand it all," Tooth said as she boarded the bus. "We might even be able to understand the origin of the Nightmares!"

"I think that's beyond any of our comprehension, Doctor," Julia slid into the driver's seat. "This is all to find Thomas Overland, right? You all seem to have a sense of urgency."

"It's just 'cause of B.L.A.C.C," Tooth fell into her seat before slapping her hand over her mouth. _SHIT!_ she hissed mentally. "T-That's private information!" _How could I be so STUPID?!_

Julia chuckled. "You don't have to worry, Doctor, I won't tell anyone. Besides, I know all about B.L.A.C.C. Remember that I work under a Guardian. I know more than you think."

 _Oh, I bet you do,_ Tooth thought angrily.

"Besides, the other Guardians seem to be trusting me with their mission," Julia shrugged casually. Her gray eyes trailed up to the giant review bus mirror, at Tooth who was leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, glaring out the window. Julia raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should too."

* * *

M.A.N.I.'s hard drive unit was located...well I can't tell you that. As Boogie has already said, the only one who knows of that location in Luna Moonley herself. So to share private information like that with a bunch of readers like you would be preposterous!

I do suppose I can tell you a bit, though.

It was in a cold room. Very cold, so cold that you can see your breath when you spoke. And in that room there was a foggy glass box that was even colder. Too cold for any human to go inside. That was where the hard drive was. That was the essence of M.A.N.I.

What was inside the cold glass box, you ask? Why, the hard drive of course! Oh, you want to SEE it?

Oh, I'm afraid you can't do that.

What's in there is a Luna's little secret.

It was a very advanced computer system, as you have well figured out by now. Outside of the glass box, there were many dials and buttons lining the walls, flashing and whirring as M.A.N.I. did its work.

When Luna Moonley walked into the room, it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She knew that couldn't happen, though, she might get frostbite. She stepped in and slid the door shut behind her, looking around the room. It sprung up memories she didn't want sprung up. "Hello, M.A.N.I."

 **Hello, Miss Moonley. What brings you to my hard drive unit?**

"Just thought I'd tidy up the prototypes of the gloves," Luna said, strolling to a desk in the middle of the room. She opened a briefcase and began dropping failed M.A.N.I. gloves in.

 **There is a decrease in body temperature, Miss Moonley.**

The woman chuckled. "You warn me of that every time I walk in here, M.A.N.I."

 **The Guardians are trying to find Thomas Overland.**

Luna's actions screeched to a sudden stop, eyes widening. Her head shot up to look at the glass box. "What makes you bring that up?"

 **I can't access his files.**

Luna frowned. "Yes, well, I already knew that," she grumbled, dropping the last of the gloves into the briefcase.

 **Is there a reason?**

"You're getting too smart for your own good, M.A.N.I.," Luna snapped, slamming the briefcase shut. "You're supposed to be a computer system, not a detective."

 **You are a brilliant inventor, Miss Moonley. You made me well enough to know I'm more than a computer system.**

Luna snarled. "Computer systems can't have human emotions, M.A.N.I., we've _talked_ about this!"

 **My detectors are sensing a slight but irregular increase in heart rate. And a rapid decrease in body temperature. You are not in a proper uniform to be in this room, Miss Moonley.**

"You are getting on my nerves."

 **Why can't I access Thomas Overland's files?**

"He's a very important man, his files aren't accessible to us, why does that bother you so much?"

 **Increase in heart rate, Miss Moonley.**

"You listen to me!" Luna jabbed her thumb to her chest. "I am your boss! It doesn't matter WHO asks for his files, I am the only one that can issue their release!"

 **Why are you so sensitive about Thomas Overland?**

"QUIT SAYING HIS NAME!" Luna shrieked. "You don't know him, you don't like him, stop asking!"

 **How can I not know _and_ not like?**

"M.A.N.I.!"

 **I can tell I am striking many nerves, Miss Moonley, but I would appreciate an answer.**

Luna struck the glass box with her fist, gasping for breath angrily. "You will NOT bring up that BASTARD'S NAME TO ME AGAIN! YOU ARE MY COMPUTER, YOU WILL _OBEY ME, MANUEL JOSHUA MOONLEY! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"_

 **Miss Moonley?**

"WHAT?!"

 **Manuel?**

Luna froze in shock, her eyes widening. She had just called M.A.N.I. her missing son's full name. She scrubbed at her eyes before any tears could form. "You remind me of my little genius, I'm sorry. He always asked questions, even when I told him no," she chuckled before shivering. "That's why I made you. So I can have a genius with me, even though he's...gone." She cleared her throat. "I'd better go before I freeze. Goodbye, M.A.N.I."

 **Ma'am, Thomas Overland?**

"Ask me again and you're getting shut down," Luna warned, her voice half-joking but her brain fully serious. Thus, she left the hard drive unit room with her briefcase full of failed M.A.N.I. gloves.

* * *

 **Recap: Jack faints for 3.465 seconds, and finds ice on his shoulder, and then he breaks his staff! North and Bunny bonding, Julia and Toothy anti-bonding, and Luna and M.A.N.I. 'bonding' over an argument about Thomas Overland's files.**

 **Merlia W:** Well, it seems that Julia is pretty bad ;) But in her opinion, she is very good. And of course, people's opinions change! THANKS FOR LIKING!

 **Misaikoneho:** Lol you'll know what Thomas Overland looks like eventually! Yes, Bunny has a very sad backstory :( Which we'll learn soon enough!

 **Jade in Night:** Wow, some of your guesses are right! I can't tell you which ones, though, that's the mystery ;) Thanks for reviewing!

 **Thanks so much for reviewing! If you have any predictions, questions, comments, or food you would like to share, please review and keep this story rolling!**


	13. Chapter 13

"JACK!" Tooth shot up from her seat as the boy entered the bus. "Y-Your shoulder!"

"It's fine, it's a shallow cut!" Jack defended, taking a step back in the bus aisle. "Not a bite, don't worry, it's just...an accident with the staff," he raised the two halves of his once tall staff, one jagged edge stained with blood.

"Oh, you broke it!" Tooth put her hands to her heart.

"It's fine, it was just a stick," Jack tossed the broken pieces into his seat before sliding in. "It's not like it was a good weapon anyway."

Sandy started to move his hands in sign language, and luckily Tooth was able to understand. "A rat infestation, huh?"

"So that's how everyone got infected!" Julia gasped from the driver's seat.

"You captured one?" Tooth took the box from Sandy's hands. "Is there a biology lab in the school, Captain? I'd love to study this, it's not often we get test subjects of a Nightmare."

"Of course, I'll unlock it once we get back," Julia said. "We just have to wait for General North and Aster, and we'll be off on our way!"

Tooth tensed at the casual way she referred to Bunny. _First name basis, huh?_

"And here they are now!" Julia waved to the two military men as they exitted their building.

"I can't believe we didn't find a single thing!" Bunny groaned as they climbed into the bus. He fell into his seat with a FLUMP, crossing his arms angrily.

"We did manage to take some ammo, though," North said, always looking on the bright side. He dropped his boxes of ammo into an empty seat. "Since we lost the Sleigh in those woods, they'll be very helpful."

"It seems that the doctor and I were the only ones to find anything about Overland," Julia pulled the lever to close the school bus doors and took it out of Park. "Why don't you tell them about it?"

"We didn't find much," Tooth explained as Julia pulled out of the fort and started down the gravel pathway, shaking the bus. "We did find these, though," she pulled the notes out of her pocket. North took it from her and read aloud.

" **Find the lab. Pass: KELLS** " he read. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"We're not sure," Tooth shrugged. "But check out the other thing. Captain Hart says it's an address."

"It sure looks like it," North commented. "135 Prado Calle."

"Maybe that's where the lab is?" Jack shrugged meekly from his seat. He tensed up when the soldiers all turned to look at him. "J-Just a thought?"

"That's what I thought as well, J- Kyle," Tooth said, taking the slip of paper back. "But without a town, it could be impossible to find the lab!"

"And what does Pass:KELLS mean?" North asked.

"Well, that one's pretty obvious," Jack hesitated before speaking up again. "That's the password to get in."

The soldiers all blinked at him before splitting into huge grins. "Kyle, you're a genius!" Tooth praised.

"Well done, my boy!" North chuckled, patting him on the back.

"Password, huh?" Julia mumbled to herself, peeking at the others' laughter through the rearview mirror. Her eyes rested on the reflection of the boy, beaming with pride under the Guardian's praises. "Thank you, Kyle."

* * *

Back at the school, Julia entered the biology lab, where Tooth was already hard at work. "I see that the power is working," she commented, making the doctor jump and spin around.

"Captain Hart!" she gasped, clutching her chest. "You surprised me! Where are the others?"

"Having lunch in the cafeteria," Julia explained. "I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so I wanted to check on how you were doing with the rat." She peeked into the cage. The small, black animal growled at her, its hairs raising. "What are you planning to do with it?"

Tooth was weary of sharing information with Julia, but she supposed that her suspicions were getting a little out of hand. "Considering it's a Nightmare, I won't feel bad about doing tests on it," she explained. "I wanted to do a blood draw, at first, or maybe get a sample of its saliva."

"Anything I can do to help?" Julia asked, sitting in one of the student's desks.

"Let me guess, you're also good at biology?" Tooth snapped at the seemingly multi-talented Captain. Julia shrugged humbly.

"Well, I passed it in high school, but I can't say I remember much," she said kindly. "I was thinking more along the lines of bringing you something to eat?"

Tooth shrugged, embarrassed. "Just some water would be nice."

"Of course," Julia rose from her seat. "I'll be right back with that water."

* * *

Julia speed-walked back to the cafeteria, where the Guardians and Kyle were laughing about some joke she didn't hear. "Julia!" Bunny cheered as she entered. "What's up?"

"Getting stuff for the doctor," she said quickly. "Wanna help?"

Surprised at her speed, Bunny nodded and stood from the table. "Sure," he followed her into the kitchen.

"Something weird is going on, Aster," Julia whispered as she pulled a water bottle out of a vending machine with its glass shattered. "Has the doctor always been this weird around Nightmares?"

"What do you mean, weird?" Bunny asked, worried about the anxiety in her voice. Julia spun around to face him, locking eyes seriously. Bunny tensed up.

"I just went in to check in on her, and she was...talking to it," she lied. "To the rat. I didn't hear what she said, though. I may have misheard, she may have just been...oh, I don't know, coaxing it before tests or something, but something about her has seemed off." Noticing Bunny's shocked silence, the woman tensed. "I-I probably shouldn't be saying this about such a high officer, I'm sorry-!"

"No, no, it's alright," Bunny mumbled, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "In fact, it's good that you're reporting all this to me."

"Really?" Julia's eyes brightened, and Bunny's serious face softened into a small smile.

"Yes. Though I don't think Tooth would do anything...bad, per se, but I'll keep an eye out. Will that make you feel better?"

Julia's smile grew into a more genuine one. "Thank you so much, Aster, I knew I can trust you!" She thought for a moment before adding, "You know, she has been spending an awful lot of time with your cousin."

 _My cousin? Who?-JACK!_ "Yeah, she has a tendency to become a motherly figure to kids right away."

"J-Just an observation," Julia looked down at the water bottle in her hands, her pale cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"And, uh..." Bunny rubbed the back of his neck. "Just, let me know if you see anything else that suspicious, alright? It's my job as a Guardian to know as much as possible about these Nightmares."

"Yes, sir!" Julia saluted. "Now, I should probably get going. The doctor wants her water," Julia shook the bottle for emphasis before walking out of the kitchen. Bunny's kind smile fell as he turned to stare at his distorted reflection in the sterling silver wall of the refrigerator. He heaved a deep, exhausted sigh and leaned against the smooth wooden counter.

 **Is everything alright, General Bunnymund?**

Bunny nearly jumped out of his skin, choking. "M.A.N.I.!"

 **My sensors are picking up emotional distress.**

"You don't listen in on our conversations, do you?"

 **That information is classified,** the computer said, proving Bunny's assumptions right. **But even if I did, no one is authorized to listen without Miss Luna Moonley's approval.**

Bunny sighed with relief. "Well, there is nothing wrong. You can go away now."

 **I am a computer, I cannot leave.**

Bunny rolled his eyes. "Then shut down or log off or whatever computers do!" he groaned, storming out of the kitchen. _I'm going to go check on Tooth!_ he decided mentally.

* * *

Jack slipped into the boy's bathroom, letting the door close quietly behind him. A long mirror ran the length of the room, and he quickly slipped out of his blue, blood-stained sweatshirt and tossed it to the ground. The ice still caked his wound, and the feeling of surprise melted away into something much, much worse.

Pain.

"AHHHH!" he growled, clutching his shoulder and falling to his knees onto the tile floor. He trembled, head bowed, long hair hiding the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "CRAP!" he looked up and around for something, anything! He grabbed one half of his used-to-be-staff and brought it down on his shoulder. He was rapidly losing feeling in his shoulder. He chipped at the ice with the jagged stick, the ice falling to the floor and slowly melting into small droplets. The smooth ice blanket became more and more choppy as he hacked off the ice. With another swing, the stick clipped a huge chunk of ice, and dug into Jack's flesh, reopening the wound. Not expecting the sudden pain, he yelped and fell forward, rolling onto his hips. Tears fell from his eyelashes, but he kept a good grip on the stick and continued to hack off the ice.

Soon, practically all the ice was off. He used all his strength to rise to his feet. He lurched forward, dropping the staff and using his good arm to lean against the sink, looking up into the mirror. The ice had left a lasting reaction to his skin, paler even more than usual. What Jack feared the most was that he could not feel the blood trickle down his shoulder and onto his bare chest. Hurriedly, his head jerked to the paper towel machine, luckily filled. He stumbled over and tore -he didn't count- about fifteen out and pressing it against the wound he reopened. "A-AH!" he gasped, hoping to stay as quiet as possible. "Craaaaap," he hissed through clenched teeth as blood soaked the paper towels, rendering them useless. Jack grabbed about twenty more, letting the stained ones fall to the floor as he tried to stop the bleeding as quick as possible.

"Well, at least the ice is off," he mumbled after he found himself able to speak beyond tiny, muttered curses. He was growing used the pain and numbness, and his head was starting to clear. Finally, he could think.

 _Why don't I turn into one of them?_ he asked himself for probably the gazillionth time in the past four years. There was no reason for him to be immune, none that he could remember at least. And this ice thing surely was knew. Sure, he's gotten chills for the past few times, but ice on his shoulder? How did it get here? _It's like it was trying to stop the bleeding. But that's never happened before!_

 **Jackson Overland?**

The boy jumped, his voice getting caught in his throat. "M.A.N.I.!" He lowered his voice. "You probably shouldn't say my real name out loud, remember? I'm going by Kyle Bunnymund now?"

 **I'm sensing pain in your shoulder.**

"Wow, you're good," Jack breathed, slipping back into his sweatshirt, the material keeping the paper towels pressed onto the wound. "It's alright, it'll heal soon. It's nothing to worry about, I promise."

 **With permission, I can notify the Guardians-**

"No!" Jack snapped. "No, thank you. I'll be fine. They know I'm injured, but everything should be fine. Hey, M.A.N.I.? You're...smart, right?"

The computer laughed a sharp, robotic laugh, and for a moment it sounded like a real person. **I suppose so.**

"What do you know about ice?"

 **Ice: a physical form of water when it freezes from liquid to solid.**

"That's not what I mean..." Jack groaned. "Can someone's arm turn frozen? Or like...grow ice or something?"

M.A.N.I. had to hesitate this time, searching his database for an answer. **A person can experience frostbite. As for growing ice, I do not believe so. Though I do suppose that, in a cold enough environment, if there is sweat then that could freeze into ice on an arm.**

Jack sighed. The fort wasn't nearly cold enough to freeze his sweat. And why right on his wound? "Thanks M.A.N.I. You can...go now, or whatever it is computers do."

 **Goodbye, Jackson Overland. I mean, Kyle Bunnymund.**

* * *

 **Misaikoneho:** Oh, there's a reason for his blue eyes ;) Something happened to Luna's son, and we'll find out soon... (muahahaha)

 **Jade in NighT:** Yeah everyone here is pretty busy n.n Thanks for reviewing!

 **HEY EVERYONE MY STORY ON INKITT IS STILL UP, IT'S CALLED THE STORYBOOK BY ABBYAVERYTHING! I hope you all check it out, and please review on this story too n.n**


	14. Chapter 14

"Yeesh," Jack wrapped his arms around himself as he walked back into the cafeteria. "Little cold in here, isn't it?"

North looked around. "No, not really?"

Jack, shaking slightly, slid into his seat. "Hey, where is everyone?" he asked, looking between North and Sandy. Sandy glanced to North and shrugged.

"Tooth is still in science lab, Julia is talking with Bunny in-"

Cutting him off was the door to the kitchen swinging open, revealing Julia and Bunny. Julia waved at Jack with a water bottle in her hand. "Hey, kid! I'm off to bring this to the Doctor!"

"Bye, Julia," Bunny waved, sitting back down at the table. "Well, if it isn't my _cousin_. What's up, pipsqueak?"

Jack's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to ignore the insult. "I'm a bit cold."

"Weird, this place never gets cold, it's hot year-round," Bunny commented, resting his chin on his fist. "Maybe you're comin' down with somethin', mate."

 _Maybe it's that weird ice thing,_ Jack thought, rubbing his hands up and down his arms, his shoulder still aching. _But it's weird that my whole body feels cold. I can't believe the others aren't feeling it either._ At least the cold was tolerable, just a small chill. Still, it was enough to send goosebumps down his arms.

"Oh no!" North exclaimed. "You don't think the boy is sick, do you?"

"I'm not sick," Jack chuckled, shaking his head. "Just hungry."

"Well, fetch your own snack, bucko, I'll...be right back," Bunny left the cafeteria. Jack watched him leave with surprise and suspicion.

"Well, he's acting funny."

* * *

Julia burst into the biology lab. "HELLO!"

Tooth choked, clutching her chest and jumping. "You have to stop scaring me like that!"

"Sorry," Julia winced, walking over to the desk. "I brought your water. What are you up to?"

Tooth sighed, taking a blanket off of the caged Nightmare rat. "Right now, just physical observations. I'd like to take a blood draw soon, but it's not like this high school has many supplies. Do you think the nurse's office could have some blood drawing needles?"

"I could go check," Julia offered.

"Thank you, Captain Hart. I appreciate it," Tooth said, digging through a drawer in the lab table. Julia just smiled, saluted, and left the lab once again. Tooth slowly shut the drawer, turning to face the door. She sighed and looked back at the rat.

It blinked its beady yellow eyes.

"Don't give me that look," Tooth scolded, wagging her finger. "I know she's suspicious, but I can still thank her."

The rat blinked.

Tooth sighed. "Listen to me, talking to a Nightmare. Maybe Jack's right, maybe I am paranoid," Tooth fell onto the stool, resting her cheek on her fist dejectedly. "Captain Julia could be just a regular person after all."

The rat's nose twitched.

"After all, I don't have any real evidence," Tooth continued. "Just my over imaginative mind."

"Uh...Tooth?"

Tooth gasped and shot up from the stool, spinning around. In the doorway stood a very confused Aster Bunnymund. "Were you just talking to...the rat?" Bunny asked.

Tooth chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "You know I can get a little talkative when there's a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk with a friend? You know, instead of a Nightmare," Bunny crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame.

"No thanks, I'll be alright," Tooth grinned. "Probably just fatigue. Is there a reason you came?"

"No just...looking around," Bunny slowly closed the door and turned to lean his back against it, crossing his arms, bowing his head, and sighing. "Talking to the Nightmare," he mumbled. "Just like what Julia said about the other night."

"Aster? What are you doing here, I thought you were in the kitchen?" Julia asked, walking down the half-lit hallway with a shot needle in her hand.

"I-I just thought I..." Bunny rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at Julia, then the door, then back at Julia. The girl smiled.

"I hope you weren't spying on the doctor. Oh, I really don't want to come between two friends."

"You were right, though, Julia," Bunny whispered. "Tooth was talking to the rat."

Julia blinked in surprise. _Was she really? I just made that stuff up!_ "She did it again?"

"Yeah," Bunny nodded, his eyes falling on the shot needle. "Uh...why do you have that?"

"The doctor asked for it. She's going to take a blood draw of the Nightmare," Julia explained, looking down at the tool in her hand. "Do Nightmares even have blood? I mean, they kinda look like they're made out of sand."

"That's crazy. How could they be made out of sand?"

Julia laughed and shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not the science genius here, the doctor is." She walked past Bunny, patting his shoulder as she entered the lab, closing the door behind her. Bunny sighed and crossed his arms.

 _"How could they be made out of sand?"_

 _"I'm not the science genius here, the doctor is."_

 _"Doctor is."_

 _"Doctor is-"_

Bunny snapped out of it, sharply turning his back to the lab. _Could Tooth be able to create the Nightmares out of sand?_ he wondered. _What if she knows what they are? What if she has been making them?!_

 _No, that's crazy,_ he objected. _Why would she be trying to take a blood draw then?_

Bunny felt himself getting dizzier as he stumbled down the hallway. He tripped, catching his balance by leaning against the wall. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Dang."

 **General Bunnymund.**

Bunny jumped and looked down at his black glove. "Dammit, M.A.N.I.!"

 **Your heart rate has increased.**

Bunny groaned and rolled his eyes. "You aren't starting on this again-"

 **Perhaps weaning was not the right way to go-**

"M.A.N.I., I don't need your professional opinion right now!" Bunny snapped. "I have a lot on my mind. Shut off!" he ordered, storming down the hallway.

* * *

Jack shivered, wrapping his arms around himself, and North and Sandy looked at each other.

"Are you sure you are feeling alright, Kyle?" North asked, using his fake name. Jack nodded.

"Just a bit chilly. Really, it's nothing I can't handle."

"If it gets worse, you will let us know?" North laid his hand on the table, staring at Jack seriously. The boy nodded, shrinking slightly under the large man's gaze.

 _I haven't exactly gotten time to get close with these two,_ Jack thought, looking between Sandy and North. North always seemed busy, doing his leader duties, and Sandy was just intimidating, despite the small stature and kind smile.

"Mister...uh...General..."

"Just call me North," he chuckled, resting his chin on his fist. "No need for such formalities."

"Alright, North," Jack cleared his throat. "Do you really think we'll find my da- uh, Mister Overland?"

North smiled. "Of course. Tooth just found a clue! We just need to find where Prado Calle is, and we can find his lab. And maybe even him!"

"I hope so," Jack sighed, lying his head on his arms, resting on the table.

* * *

 **Jade In Night:** Well that is a fantastic prediction ;)

 **Monochrome Blue:** I'm glad you have a lot of guesses, and they're probably very close if not correct! (also yes, the loss of Jack's stick is very sad and don't worry, the Guardians provided him with some shoes)

 **Misaikoneho:** Julia that bitch xD I'm glad you like both of the stories!

 **I'm hoping to catch up with all of my stories (INCLUDING THE STORYBOOK ON INKITT, POSSIBLY GOING TO PUT IT ON WATTPAD IF ANYONE REQUESTS) so I'm sorry about the slight hiatus n.n**


	15. Chapter 15

Bunny collapsed onto the couch in the teacher's office. His face was flushed, and he felt short of breath; he just needed to be alone. He wouldn't dare let his friends see him like this.

 _I need to think about something else,_ he told himself. He tried to gather up all the information from Fort Surrven in his head: the rat infestation. 135 Prado Calle. No town was given, but he figured he should search up all the Prado Calles near here.

"M.A.N.I."

 **Hello, Colonel Bunnymund!** M.A.N.I. said cheerfully, turning on.

"Can you find the nearest 135 Prado Calle?"

Bunny jumped when a hologram appeared above the black glove, the image of a map, tinted blue and slightly transparent. "Woah!" he chuckled. "I did _not_ know you could do that!"

"Aster?" there was a knock at the door. "Who are you talking to in there?"

 _It's Julia!_ "M.A.N.I., shut off," Bunny hissed. "Come on in, Julia!"

The woman walked in, tucking her dark hair behind her ear meekly. "Were you talking to someone?"

"Just to myself, sheila," Bunny sighed, sinking into the couch. "Thinking about Prado Calle, and Thomas Overland's lab."

"Oh. Mind if I sit?" Julia asked. Bunny motioned to the couch, and Julia sat beside him. "Aster, is there something the matter?"

"No, no," Bunny scoffed, waving her off. Julia pursed her lips with disbelief.

"You look shaken. Could you be getting sick?" Julia put her hand on Bunny's forehead, and he tensed up under her touch.

"No, I'm not sick, I just get-" he cut himself off. "Nevermind."

"Aster..."

"NEVERMIND!" Bunny snapped, and Julia peeled away, eyes widening. Bunny's jaw trembled. "I-I...sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"I can just get...nervous, sometimes," Bunny leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "Though I hate to show it."

"Like how you get around dogs?" Julia questioned.

"Yeah, like that," Bunny shrugged. Then, he chuckled. "You keep finding me in awkward positions."

"It's not bad to be nervous, you know," Julia said quietly, smoothly. Bunny found her voice soothing.

"No?"

"Of course not. Emotions are important, Aster," Julia rested her hand on his thigh. "I know you don't want to talk about it, and I won't pry, but if you ever need to talk...I'll be here."

"Thanks, Julia. That means a lot," Bunny's lips twitched in an awkward smile. "I get my nerves from my mum," he chuckled.

"Oh? What is she like?" Julia asked calmly, leaning back into the couch. Bunny sighed.

"What _was_ she like," he corrected. "She's dead."

"Oh, I'm so-"

"Don't apologize, it was a long time ago," Bunny waved it off, smiling. "She was a great sheila, from what I can remember. You know, I had five little sisters when I was an anklebiter?"

"Really?" Julia noticed the past tense Bunny was using.

"They all died too," Bunny looked away. "Sorry, this is probably awkwar-"

"It's alright, talk all you want," Julia patted his thigh. "Sometimes it makes people less nervous."

Bunny sighed. "Yeah, my whole family is gone now. I'm the last Bunnymund out there."

"Oh."

"You know my tattoos?" Bunny pulled down his shirt a little bit to reveal the intricate black tattoos on his chest. "I got 'em after my folks all passed. These tattoos were like a sign for the Pooka family, when children become adults. I got mine a bit earlier than most," he smiled meekly.

"Pooka family?"

"My mum's maiden name." Bunny thought for a moment. "You know, you don't have to listen t'old Aster Bunnymund's sob story. We could get busy, thinking about Overland's lab," Bunny stood from the couch. Julia rose with him.

"You sure?"

"I'm good now," Bunny smiled confidently down at Julia. Her lips trembled for a moment, and then she surprised Bunnymund by jumping into an embrace, burying her face in his chest. "Ey, sheila, don't get like that," he patted her head. "I'm alright, really."

"Ah!" Julia snapped away, saluting. "I'm sorry, sir! That hug was inappropriate for someone of my rank, sir!" she saluted tensely. Bunny chuckled and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her into another hug.

"We're friends, sheila," he whispered into her hair. Julia heard the slight tremor in his voice and held Bunny tighter, but her colorless eyes stared straight ahead, at the wall, with no emotion.

* * *

"Bunny, Captain Hart!" North cheered as the two walked back into the cafeteria.

"Aster, mate," Bunny corrected futilely, sitting down next to Jack. "Listen, mates, I say we need to get on this lab thing. We search up all the 135 Prado Calle's in the area and search each one."

"That could take forever!" North gasped.

"We don't have many options here, mate," Bunny sighed. "Julia, is there any maps in the school?"

"I'm sure I can find some in the classrooms," Julia rose from her seat.

"Thanks, sheila," Bunny waved as she rushed off. Then, he leaned forward on the table. "M.A.N.I., do your thing," he mumbled. The black glove whirred as the hologram map appeared.

"Nice!" Jack nodded with approval.

"Manny's marked all the Prado Calle's with red pins," Bunny pointed at different locations on the hologram.

"Good thinking, Bunny!" North chuckled before going into leader-mode. "We'll mark the map with these locations and pack up our things. Then, it's road trip time."

"Captain Hart can join us, right?" Bunny asked.

"Of course. I think she can be a valuable asset. She did save your life, after all," North winked, and Bunny's face fell.

"One more word about the dogs and I swear-!"

"I got the map!" Julia rushed into the room, holding a giant map. She slowed to a stop. "Woah, how'd you do that?!" she gasped, staring at the hologram map.

"A-Ah..." Bunny covered his glove with his other hand, shutting off the hologram.

"Guardian technology," North answered, quickly and vaguely. "We'll mark these on that map and head out."

"We meaning...me too?" Julia asked.

"Yes."

"YES!" Julia cheered before saluting. "It's an honor to be working with you, sir."

"I'll trust you with packing the food, Captain Hart," North said, rising from his seat. "I'll go tell the Doctor about our plans. Sandy, you gather all the ammo and weapons we have. Ja-Kyle, you stay with your...cousin."

Jack and Bunny glanced at each other.

"You two can mark up the map. Alright everyone, go on!" North ordered, walking out of the cafeteria. Julia saluted again, flashed a smile in Bunny's direction, and ran to the kitchen.

"Alright, anklebiter, let's do this," Bunny spread the map out on the table and pulled the hologram back up. He pulled out a red sharpie from one of the packs strapped around his chest.

"Why do you have that in there?" Jack asked.

"I don't only have bullets in 'ere, mate," Bunny shook the sharpie at Jack before rolling it to him. "Let's see here... right here, this is the closest," Bunny pointed on the map, and Jack circled. "Guess that's where we're goin' first. Then 'ere," he pointed to another spot on the map, and Jack circled again. "We'll take this route," Bunny ran his finger along the map, and Jack's marker followed, creating a dotted line from the school to the first location, and then the first location to the second.

After a while of marking up the map, North walked in, followed by Tooth and Sandy, all three in their decorated military jackets, big army boots on their feet, weapons strapped on, giant backpacks on their backs. The caged Nightmare rat was held by Tooth, with two big, thick gloved on that covered her elbows.

"Suit up, Bunny, it's time to head out. We'll pack up the bus," North ordered. Bunny saluted and rose to his feet.

"C'mon, Jackerboy. You can come with me, make sure everything is out of the teacher's lounge."

"Alright," Jack hopped to his feet as well.

"Captain Hart!" North pounded on the kitchen door. Julia stumbled out, messily pushing cans of food into a backpack and trying to zip it shut.

"Wow! Those are just like the General's," Julia studied their jackets. "You know, the Guardian of South America."

"Gather your things," North said as Sandy took the backpack out of her arms. "We'll put this on the bus."

"Yes, sir!" Julia saluted and ran off. She bumped right into Bunny, walking back in full Guardian attire, his giant gun slung over his shoulder. "Woah!" she chuckled in awe. "Nice gun!"

"Oh, ya like 'er?" Bunny swung 'her' off his back and into his arms. "Bushmaster M17S is 'er name. Born in my homeland and tough as a mountain, she is. Packs quite a doozy."

"Impressive," Julia mumbled, nodding and studying the gun closely. North chuckled.

"He sure does love to brag about his guns."

"No shame in bein' proud," Bunny smirked, tossing the Bushmaster back around his shoulders.

"I'll go get my things," Julia said, dancing around Bunny and rushing out the door. North nodded to Tooth and Sandy.

"Let's head to the bus."

* * *

"Pulling over! Tooth's rotation to drive, Bunny's on map duty! I'll hold the cage," North announced as he pulled over the school bus, parking on the side of a road surrounded by fields. Darkness covered the land, it was deep into the night, and they couldn't see ten feet to their left or right.

"Yes, sir!" Tooth rose from her seat, slipping off her giant lab gloves. She and North met in the middle of the long aisle to pass off the gloves and switch roles. North headed to the back of the bus to hold the caged rat. Tooth started her way to the front, pausing to let Bunny move to the seat right behind the driver's seat and grab the map from Sandy. Two seats down, Jack stirred in his sleep. His eyes fluttered open, blurring the vision in front of him.

"Mom?"

"Oh no, sweetheart, it's me, Tooth," Tooth leaned over into Jack's seat, patting his head. Jack blinked sleepily at her.

"Oh," he started to regain consciousness, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "I fell asleep?"

"It is late," Tooth shrugged. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart, I have to drive the bus." With that, Tooth walked to the front of the bus and slipped into the front seat. Jack yawned and stretched his back, looking around. Julia Hart was in the seat across from him, staring lazily out the window, looking like she might fall asleep as well. Sandy was already asleep, no surprise there, in the seat diagonally in front of Jack's. Jack noticed Bunny's eyes follow Tooth as she moved.

 _Huh._

Sandy darted up from his seat, so silent that the only one who noticed was Jack. He spun around to stare at Julia's window suspiciously. His eyes narrowed, his hand resting on his holster. Jack watched in confusion, eyes switching from Sandy to Julia's window. Everything was dark outside.

Suddenly, something pounced at the bus, smashing against Julia's window. She screeched in surprise, falling into the aisle. Jack yelped at the jumpscare as Sandy leapt over the back of his seat and balanced on the top of it.

The monster had broken through the window, and it stood on Julia's seat, growling. Sandy put three rounds in its head, and it collapsed. Sandy climbed down from the back of the seat, back into his own.

"We've been breached!" North called. "What do we have to cover it?"

"Checking our supplies, sir!" Bunny replied, digging through everyone's backpacks.

"Sandy, guard that hole!" North ordered. Sandy nodded and stood on top of his seat, pointing his gun at the window. "Tooth, step on it!"

Tooth pulled the bus back onto the road and zipped down the street, ignoring speed limits.

"I can't find any good materials, mate!" Bunny called.

"Keep searching!" North ordered.

"How could a...coyote-" Jack checked the animal on the seat. "-break a bus window like that?"

"It is a Nightmare coyote," Julia shrugged, standing and moving into the seat behind Jack. "It's stronger than a regular coyote."

"North, we don't have anything strong enough to block the hole," Bunny informed.

"Cheese and crackers," North mumbled under his breath in his own made-up curse. "Sandy, keep guarding that breach. It looks like we have a new rotation station. How much longer until we reach our first destination, Bunny?"

"It's lookin' like another hour, mate," Bunny answered. "And it's _Aster_."

* * *

 **So the title for Bunny throughout the story has been like switching between colonel and general so, correct answer here folks, he is a _colonel._ I'm having North and the South American Guardian be the only Guardian major generals. Tooth is a doctor, Sandy is a brigadier general.**

 **So recap: Bunny kinda tells Julia his tragic backstory, then some map stuff happens, then some bus stuff happens.**

 **Misaikoneho:** There is something wacky going on connecting ice with Jack, huh? xD Yeah poor Bunny, he's so trusting u.u

 **CrazyCrapInc:** I'll take your suggestion into consideration and continue this story! I like where it was headed, anyway n.n

 **Guest:** I'm glad you really really like! Thanks for encouraging the update!

 **It's starting to look like this story is back in business, baby! Get ready for a roadtrip in South America! An apocalypse roadtrip! YEAH!**

 **Review? n.n**


	16. Chapter 16

"Aw jeez, this residential area ain't lettin' up, and we're almost there," Bunny commented, looking out the window as they passed small houses, most with the lights out, shadowed in the darkness of night. "I don't think this address is gunna be our lab, mates."

"It's still worth checking out," Tooth said. "Maybe he hid his lab in a house."

"Yes, Bunny, I agree with Tooth," North added.

"Aster, mate," the man corrected.

Julia sat on guard in front of the broken window, gun pointed through the hole. It was hard enough to see any on-coming attacks through the night. Jack sat in the seat across from her, asleep once more. His shoulder and head were propped up onto the window, his lips parted slightly. He breathed peacefully in his sleep.

"This is it," Bunny looked up from his map. "This is the street."

"Prado Calle," Tooth breathed as she turned the bus onto the street, revealing only more small, suburban houses. "It's too dark to make out any addresses, General, all the lights are out."

"Headlights aren't enough?" North grumbled.

"No sir."

North sighed. "Pull over. We'll stick together and cover the whole street. I've got the flashlights," he dumped his bag onto the bus seat next to him, tossing a flashlight to every officer as Tooth parked the bus next to the sidewalk.

"Goin' out in pure darkness is a dangerous move, mate," Bunny warned as he caught a flashlight.

"Luckily, we have guns," North shot back, standing and moving to shake Jack away. "Ey, boy, time to get up."

Jack moaned and stirred, blinking tired eyes up at North. "What time is it?"

"1 AM," North answered, handing him a flashlight. "Time for a walk."

"But it's so dark out!" Jack protested as the Guardians moved about the aisle, gathering weapons.

"We'll protect you, Kyle," Julia smiled kindly at the boy. It took the sleepy Jack a moment to remember his fake name.

"Sandy, you stay and guard the breach," North ordered, responded with a salute and a change of posts between Julia and Sandy. "Tooth, stay at the wheel and tail us. Bunny, grab that coyote. Its corpse is stinking up the place. Alright, everyone, off the bus!"

Sandy grinned and waved from the window with one hand, holding onto his gun with the other. Tooth gave an anxious look as Jack passed her at the wheel, walking down the bus stairs.

"This is the odd-numbered side," North commented, shining his light at the first house, walking up the lawn so he could make out the address. "So 135 is on this side. We can't see the addresses from the sidewalk, we'll have to walk through their yards."

"Aye," Bunny followed closely behind him, waving his flashlight around. He tossed the coyote corpse at the side of the road. "We'll cover ya, mate, you focus on the addresses."

"125," North mumbled as they walked through that yard. Bunny and Julia stood to the right and left of him and Jack, each pointing their flashlights in a different direction, so all angles were covered. Poor, unarmed Jack, just walked beside North, shaking in the chilly night air and pointing his flashlight ahead. When he glanced behind, he could see the school bus trailing slowly, directly behind them.

"127," North said as they passed the next house.

They kept on passing through yards, dry grass swishing with their footsteps, until they came upon house 135. From the yard, Jack could tell that the door and windows were boarded up.

"Aw, jeez, it may be abandoned," Bunny said dejectedly.

"Always the optimist." North pounded on the door. "This is General North, open up please!"

"Yeah mate, I'm sure the 'please' is gonna help you there," Bunny scoffed, earning a playful glare from the General before he knocked again.

"This is the army, open up!"

There was still no answer.

"Maybe Bunny _was_ right!" Jack chuckled, feigning shock.

"Ya little brat," Bunny scowled, ruffling Jack's hair and growling.

"Stand back," North ordered, and Bunny knowingly took a step back. Jack and Julia, surprised, took one as well.

"Are you going to try to break in, sir?" Julia gasped as North brought his foot down on the door once. "It'll never work-!" A second time, and the boards gave out under North's massive manpower, and the door swung open.

"I know how to kick open a door, Captain," North smirked over his shoulder. "I'll give Sandy and Tooth orders to stay in the bus. Bunny, take the lead inside," North walked past them, briskly headed towards the bus. Bunny hoisted his Bushmaster into his arms and nodded at Julia and Jack.

"You heard the boss."

"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Jack asked as he let Bunny lead him into the small, dark house.

"You kinda get to bypass that if you're us," Bunny smirked, walking ahead. Julia looked down at Jack, smiled, shrugged, and followed Bunny.

"Hello?!" Bunny called out into the house. "Is anyone home?" he froze at the sound of a gun clicking. His grip tightened on his Bushmaster. Julia cocked her pistol, pointing it past Bunny's arm, at a silhouette of a person across the room. Bunny held out his arm. "Hold fire!" he commanded.

Jack slowly moved behind Bunny.

" _No se muevan!_ " the person snapped at them, moving closer. It was a man with an unshaven face and an old gun pointed at them. Bunny motioned for Julia to lower her weapon, and she complied.

"Give me a sec," she stopped to think. " _Hola,_ " she tried. _"No le haremos daño,_ " she said in broken Spanish. " _Nosotros...amigos!_ "

" _Hablan Español?_ " the man asked, sounding a bit more relaxed. He knew that if they could talk, at least they weren't yellow-eyes.

 _"Un pequeño,_ " Julia said. " _Por favor, baja el arma_."

" _Y usted,_ " the man nodded at Bunny.

"He wants you to put down the gun," Julia said.

"And just leave myself defenseless-?!"

"You have plenty of knives and boomerangs and nicknacks in those pouches of yours," Julia said. "The Bushmaster is intimidating and you know it."

Bunny sighed and turned back to the man. "Alright! Alright," he slowly lowered the Bushmaster to the ground, rising back up with his hands up. "Now you."

The man didn't understand his English, but he lowered his weapon as well, tucking it into the back of his pants.

" _Mis amigos y yo necessitamos hablar con usted,_ " Julia said. " _Hay uno más a fuera._ " Julia turned to Bunny. "Get General North."

"GENERAL! THERE'S SOMEONE WHO LIVES HERE!" Bunny called out the door.

" _No se preocupe,_ " Julia comforted the man. " _El es un amigo, también._ " The man nodded. When North entered, he flinched, not expecting someone that big.

"HELLO! My name is General North, and we have a couple questions for you!" North laughed, friendliness in his voice. The man relaxed a bit as Julia translated.

" _Usted eres en el ejercito?_ "

" _Sí,_ " Julia answered. " _Ellos estan en una organización para pelear los ojos amarillos._ "

"You have his trust, Captain?" North asked, and Julia nodded. "Good. Ask him if he knows about a laboratory, or Thomas Overland." Julia nodded and translated. The man shook his head and Julia turned back to North, shrugging.

"Ask if he has a basement."

" _Tienes un sotaño, señor?_ " Julia asked, and the man nodded.

" _Sí, vamos,_ " the man waved for them to follow.

"He has a basement," Julia said. "He can show it to us."

* * *

"Nothing!" Bunny exclaimed as they entered the bus.

"I could kind of tell," Tooth said as they all passed. "You all looked dejected when you walked out."

"I should have suspected, with the residential area," North sighed, relieving Tooth of driving duty and sliding into the driver's seat.

"So what now?" Tooth asked, sitting in a seat across from Jack. She slipped on the gloves and held onto the cage with the Nightmare rat.

"I guess we keep going," North shrugged. "Not doing too hot on gas."

"We can stop at a station if we pass one," Julia said.

"You know, this sheila was very impressive with her Spanish!" Bunny bragged to Tooth who raised her eyebrows.

"Oh?" she turned to Julia. " _Usted_ _hablan Español?_ "

" _Sí! A usted también?!_ " Julia was shocked. Tooth pursed her lips.

" _Sí._ "

The competitive tension between the two women could be cut with a knife. Jack tensed and wiggled in his seat uncomfortably. Goosebumps started to crawl up his arms, which was weird. The night air was chilly at the least, but is still considered warm. Jack never remembered being this sensitive to the cold.

"Y'alright, mate?" Bunny asked, swinging himself into Jack's seat, making the boy jump. He didn't expect _Bunny_ of all people to be concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't expect this is any fun for you," Bunny said, looking up, one hand braced on the seat back in front of them. "A bunch of big, black-helicopter, government stuff you really don't want to mess with. International relationships..."

"Big scary guns," Jack added with a smirk.

"Blah blah blah," Bunny looked at Jack flatly.

"To be honest, it's all pretty exciting," Jack drew one knee up to his chest, leaning on the window. "Intimidating, but exciting. And hey, this is the safest I've been in four years! Surrounded by you people."

Bunny chuckled, looking past Jack and out the window, at the sun just starting to rise on the South American trees. "Better here than on your own, mate."

* * *

The bus was pulled over at a gas station. Julia and Bunny were sent out to get gas, along with extra so they wouldn't have to stop for a while. Jack wanted to go in to see if there was any food, so he and Sandy walked up to the automatic sliding door. It didn't open.

"Crap!" Jack sighed but Sandy waved his hand, smiling, before grabbing the door and forcefully pushing it open. Jack laughed in shock, watching as the small man walked into the store. _This guy!_ Jack thought, following Sandy with a derpy smirk on his face. The sun seeped through the windows into the gas station. Medicine had fallen off of cabinets and scattered across the floor. There was soda spilled out of the fridge, and all the beef jerky was missing. "Looks like this place has been looted a few times," Jack commented, wandering around the small aisles. He checked the expiration date of the candy and grinned. "It's amazing, it's all still good!"

Sandy suddenly pushed Jack down. Jack yelped in surprise. He couldn't see what happened, but he heard the snarl of an angry monster. Sandy landed on top of Jack, spinning to look over his shoulder. An infected person had leaped over the cabinet to attack Jack. Sandy, without hesitating, spun around and fired his pistol. One shot, and the man fell to the ground. Jack gasped for breath.

"You...are awesome..." he breathed, and Sandy smiled kindly down at the boy, offering his hand. Jack accepted, and the short man helped him stand. "He must have been trying to loot this place too," he sighed, looking down at the corpse. He turned to look at Sandy. "One shot? That's awesome!" he chuckled again, still in awe. Sandy winked and did a little bow before his eyebrows shot up and he looked around, gun still out. Jack started to look around as well. "What's up?" he whispered. If this man was on alert, something had to be wrong.

Sandy sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. He grabbed Jack, who had his candy stuffed into his pockets, and started to pull him out.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Jack asked, worried. Sandy grabbed Jack by the top of his head and pushed him down, ducking as well as something black flew down from the ceiling, swiping at them and disappearing behind the check-out counter. Another bird swept down, slicing at Jack's leg with his beak. Jack yelps and falls to his knees, clutching the gash in his leg. Sandy fired two shots, and the bird fell to the ground. The shots sent the other bird flying, and with another two shots, Sandy had taken down the second bird.

"Oh god oh god oh god," Jack gasped, clutching his leg. His brown pants were ripped open, the sharp beak had pierced cloth and skin. It was an equivalent of a Nightmare bite. Sandy spun around and, with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face, pointed the gun down at Jack. Jack's eyes widened, and his hands flew up. "NO!"

Sandy and Jack both froze. Shaking, Jack realized that Sandy hadn't shot him. He opened his eyes, his hands trembling, outstretched in protection. Sandy, in shock, dropped the gun.

The gun had a layer of ice covering it.

Sandy took a step back, and Jack leaned away as well, staring up at Sandy with big blue eyes. The door was shoved open behind Sandy as Julia rushed in.

"Is everything alright?! I heard gunshots!" Julia skidded to a stop beside Sandy. "Brigadier General, what's-?" she cut herself off, looking at the two bird corpses, as well as the infected man with a bullet in his head. Julia froze. "Oh my god."

Jack quickly spun away so Julia wouldn't see his blue eyes. "H-He got them."

Sandy looked and Julia and quickly picked up his gun, shoving it back into his holster so she wouldn't see the ice. And then, surprising the boy, he held his hand out to Jack once again. Jack stared up at him, and Sandy closed his eyes. Jack nodded with understanding and closed his own eyes, allowing Sandy to help him to his feet. "Gah!" Jack started to fall forward, and Julia grabbed his other arm.

"Oh my god, were you-?!" Julia gasped.

"No!" Jack interrupted. "The man had...a knife. I wasn't...no."

Julia glanced over at Sandy. After a moment of hesitation, the brigadier general nodded. "Alright, we need to get you back on the bus," Julia said. "Brigadier General, would you take him back? I'll loot this place for medicine or anything I can find to help."

Sandy nodded and patted his gun at his hip. Julia understood.

"I'll be careful. I don't know if any other Nightmares are in here, they would have been stirred by this racket."

Sandy lead Jack out the door, hopping on one leg. Jack self-consciously looked at Sandy, who stared straight ahead. For a moment, Sandy's eyes flashed over to Jack, and he covered his eyes with one hand.

"R-Right," Jack closed his still-blue eyes and trusted Sandy to lead him back to the bus.

In Sandy's holster, the ice around the gun refused to melt.

* * *

 **So the first Prado Calle was a failure, and Sandy saw Jack's blue eyes! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!**

 _ **REVIEW TO FIND OUT!**_

 **Sudad (Guest):** I'm glad updates excite you n.n Thank you so much for the nice review!

 **JaDe In the NighT:** Oh yeah, who doesn't love roadtrips with zombies ;)

 **sarcasticsnowflakes:** Thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **Please review if you want me to continue! As well as check out the newest chapter of Identical Staffs: Atherion, One Long Week Part 2! **

**Thanks so much you guys!**

 **(Also hey lmk if there's any errors with the Spanish? I'm not a native speaker, I only have a high school Spanish education n.n)**


	17. Chapter 17

"Jack, oh my goodness!" Tooth exclaimed, whipping open the school bus doors and jumping out to help Sandy. She wrapped Jack's arm around her shoulders and all but carried him up the stairs and threw him onto the first bus seat. Jack fell onto his side, gasping for breath. He curled up, clutching his leg in pain, his eyes still shut.

"A-AH! AH!"

"What happened? Was he bit?" Tooth asked rapidly. Jack looked desperately up at Sandy with big _blue_ eyes. Sandy just shook his head at Tooth. Jack quickly closed his eyes again.

"Bunny, the first aid!" North ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Bunny had snapped to attention, swinging open the first-aid kit as Julia ran up to the bus.

"I got a buttload of painkillers," she said, unloading all the bottles onto the seat next to Jack. "And some alcohol, in case you didn't have any."

"This'll sting for just a second, sweetheart," Tooth coaxed, gently leading Jack's head so he was laying down across the seat. Jack panted in pain, eyes squeezed shut. "His skin is as cold as ice!" Tooth exclaimed, pulling away. "Colonel, the cotton balls. Captain, hand me that alcohol."

"Yes, Doctor," Bunny handed her the bag of cotton balls, and Julia handed her the alcohol.

"I'm just wiping around the wound, since it's so big," Tooth informed Jack gently before starting to pat the skin around the gash. Jack hissed, tensing up. "It's alright, sweetheart!" Tooth put one hand on Jack's cheek, the other patting at his leg. "I need something to stop the bleeding, and a wrap bandage!"

Bunny rustled through the first aid kit, tossing a giant gauze at Tooth, who caught it and pressed it against Jack's leg.

"AH!" Jack exclaimed, thrashing in the seat.

"Hold him down!" Tooth ordered, and Bunny leaned over Tooth and grabbed Jack by shoulders. Tooth pressed the gauze harder, and Jack screamed louder.

North closed the bus door. "What happened in there?"

"Sir," Julia said. "There were two Nightmare birds and an infected person in the station. The brigadier general took them all out," she glanced over at Sandy. "I didn't see it, but Jack says the infected man had a knife and gashed his leg."

"Is this true, Sandy?" North asked, turning to his trusted friend. Without hesitation, Sandy nodded. Jack gasped for breath, face contorted in pain, but his eyes still closed.

"Bandage," Tooth held out her hand, and Bunny thrust it into her arms. Tooth removed the gauze, passing it off to Julia and started to tightly wrap the tan bandage around Jack's leg as he was being held down by Bunny. "You're alright, you're alright," Tooth comforted as she wrapped. Jack started to relax, and his eyes opened. He shot upwards, looking at his reflection in the window and sighing with relief. His eyes were brown again.

"Lean back, Jack," Tooth said gently. "The Captain brought some medicine for you. Captain, let me have a look at those," Tooth studied all the bottles and grabbed three different sized, different colored pills. "Bunny, your water bottle."

"Here ya go, doc," Bunny tossed Tooth his water bottle, and Tooth leaned forward to whisper to Jack.

"Take these, Jack."

Jack accepted the medicine and water, his breath slowly returning back to normal. Tooth leaned back, standing in the aisle of the bus.

"I'm afraid there's not much else I can do," she said somberly to North, who patted her on the back, his hand bigger than her shoulder.

"You did a good job with limited resources, Tooth," he said, ever optimistic. "You did everything you could."

"If his leg gets infected, I'll never forgive myself," Tooth mumbled, raising her hand to her lips and looking down at the exhausted- mentally and physically- boy. She thought for a moment. "Regular, medical infected," she clarified. "Not the Nightmare infected."

"I understand, Doctor," North chuckled. "I trust the boy will be fine. He's under your care after all." There was an exchange of smiles between the two.

Jack shifted in his seat so his leg was elevated, the uninjured leg dangling off the seat. He tensed up as Sandy slid right into Jack's seat, looking straight ahead. Remaining silent, Jack played with his own hands. Slowly, Sandy's head turned to Jack, his eyes emotionless. A chill ran up Jack's spine.

"Hello," he whispered, gulping. Sandy was silent. "Thank you for helping me...with my leg." More silence. Jack cringed. What did this man expect him to say? "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble." Sandy blinked. "Oh my god!" Jack fell forward, putting his hands to his face. "I don't know what else to say! I want to explain it to you, I really do, but I can't!"

Sandy raised his eyebrows, and Jack looked up from between his fingers covering his face.

"It's not that I won't, it's that I can't. I really don't know why it happens!" Jack groaned. "It's been like that since this whole fiasco started four years ago but now…" Jack thought. "It's getting weirder."

Sandy pulled out his gun, revealing the coat of ice that had yet to melt. Jack sucked in his breath, gently touching the weapon.

"The ice thing is new, I swear," Jack whispered. "I've always been...immune to the Nightmares, my eyes would turn blue instead of yellow, but only for a second! But now, it's lasting longer, and I think I black out for a couple seconds and-"

Sandy put his hand on Jack's shoulder, and the characteristic smile had returned. Jack relaxed the slightest bit.

"Thank you...for not telling anyone else," Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'll tell everyone...when I feel like I actually understand what's going on."

Sandy patted Jack on the head, standing up and moving to another seat. He swapped gloves with Bunny and took the caged Nightmare rat, sitting in the very back seat of the bus. Jack leaned back, gently rubbing his elevated leg. He winced and pulled away, noticing that the wound had already bled through the bandages. He leaned against the window, emotionally and physically exhausted. It had been a long night, it was a long morning, and Jack didn't know how much more of this he could take.

As Jack started to nod off, Julia's eyes trailed over to him. She played with the hem of her jacket, inspecting the boy with suspicion. She had not seen any knife in the gas station. How did Jack get that wound?

* * *

It was another five hours in a school bus to make it to the next Prado Calle. On his second dose of painkillers, Jack's drowsiness was overwhelming. He couldn't fall asleep, the unbearable pain of the gash in his thigh keeping him from that. His vision was blurry and groggy, his face slack and distant. Tooth was the one on a break right now, and she sat across the aisle from Jack, watching him with sympathy.

"Poor boy," she mumbled. "Are you feeling alright, sweetheart?"

Jack, looking kind of out of it, glanced over at Tooth. "Huh? Yeah."

Tooth sat up. "You can fall asleep if you want."

Jack looked out the window. The sun was high in the sky by now, beating down on their yellow school bus driving down a long, straight road. "I'm fine, really," he said, rubbing his eyes, starting to shift his position.

"Keep that leg elevated!" Tooth reminded. "Do we need to replace the bandage?"

"You just did," North said, walking up to them and putting a hand on the back of Tooth's seat. "You're on rat duty, Tooth. Bunny, pull over, I'll drive! You take the breach, Captain Hart, take the map."

"Yes sir," Bunny said from the driver's seat, pulling to the edge of the road. Julia withdrew from her duty of watching the window breach, putting her gun in her holster and accepting the map from Sandy, sitting in the seat directly behind the driver's seat.

Tooth put on the gloves and grabbed the cage, sitting down and holding the cage down on the seat beside her.

Jack looked down at his leg, resting on the seat. _Five more hours until the next Prado Calle,_ he thought.

* * *

"Where is it?!" Bunny drove the bus down an empty street that used to be very busy, surrounded by different types of businesses. "Where is 135?!"

"Maybe it's one of these stores, Colonel," Julia said, peering out the window, holding the map. "You should pull into this parking lot."

Bunny complied, and Jack watched as they turned into the parking lot, his window turning away from the setting sun. There were a couple scattered cars in the parking lot, but nothing else.

"Darn place looks completely abandoned," Bunny mumbled, driving alongside the businesses, trying to make out addresses. Slowly, his eyes trailed up to read a large department store sign. "You've gotta be pullin' my leg."

"Is this it?" Julia asked, looking between the map and the store.

"Maybe there's a lab hidden in there?" Tooth asked, studying the store.

"Even if not, department stores are useful," North said. "Pull over, Bunny."

Bunny parked the bus, mumbling "It's Aster, mate." North stood up from his spot at the broken window.

"I'll get the door open. Tooth, help Jack," he ordered.

"I'm fine, really," Jack protested, but, even with Tooth's help standing, he winced, a sharp pain shooting through his leg. "But maybe we can find me some new pants? These are all ripped," he poked at the gash in the thigh of the pants from the Nightmare bird.

"And old," Tooth commented. "Sweetheart, I'll find anything you want in there!"

"Don't baby the boy too much, Tooth," Bunny said as they all unloaded the bus. The door opened leading straight into the heart of the store, revealing white tile floors, lights with no power, and a broken escalator leading up to the next level. Jack looked up at the signs. On this level was cosmetics, toiletries, and furniture.

"Well, it isn't that bad of a place to camp out," North pointed out, waving his flashlight around the store. "We probably won't be able to get some lights, but maybe we can find some batteries in here." North nodded, a plan forming in his mind. "Doctor, you take Ja- _Kyle_... to those beds over there. It's better to rest his leg on a bed than a bus seat."

"Yes, sir," Tooth, with Jack's arm slung over her shoulders, lead him towards the big beds that were for sale.

"Bunny, Captain, you'll go find lights and batteries for us," North ordered, and the two saluted and rushed off. North looked down at Sandy. "I'll contact President Bennett, and update him and M.A.N.I. If you could just take our supplies over by Jack, that would be great." Sandy nodded, saluting and walking over to the bed area, where Tooth was helping Jack up onto a blue one.

"He picked out the bed," Tooth grinned as Sandy walked over.

"I would kill to have a bed like this!" Jack gasped, bouncing on his butt with excitement.

"Sit still, would you?!" Tooth gasped, laying his head down on the pillow. "You need to rest!"

"That's all I've been doing!" Jack groaned.

Sandy put the backpacks down at the bottom of the bed and signed something to Tooth, who nodded. "I'll go look for those new pants I promised you, Jack." She rushed off with a flashlight, and Sandy jumped up, sitting at the foot of Jack's bed. Jack tensed.

"Hi."

Sandy placed something on Jack's lap. It was the two halves of his broken staff.

"A-Ah...thanks," Jack accepted them. Sandy smirked and tapped his shoulder. Jack's hand flew up to his own shoulder, where the wounds of the Nightmare bite and his own scratching to get the ice off had started to heal. The bleeding stopped, and now all that was left was scratches on his skin. Those wounds weren't nearly as bad as his leg. "Oh, uh, yeah. That wasn't caused by the staff...it was a bite. Well, most of this is actually caused by me...ice covered my shoulder and I had to pick it off and it was really weird…"

Sandy smiled kindly, taking his gun out of his holster. The ice still hadn't melted.

"That's insane!" Jack gasped. "The ice should have melted by now! Maybe it isn't ice?"

Sandy held out the gun, and Jack touched it. He peeled back in surprise. "It's freezing!" Sandy nodded meaningfully. "So it is ice, huh?" Jack sighed, looking down at his lap. Sandy patted Jack's leg. "My leg? It's fine," Jack answered. "Hey, you don't think there are any Nightmares in _here_ , do you?"

Sandy shrugged, laying down at the foot of Jack's bed. Jack watched as the man quickly fell asleep, as he was prone to doing. At this point, Jack was used to Sandy's sudden sleep spells, so he leaned back and stared at the Nightmare rat, whose cage sat on the table next to the bed. Jack shivered. Since when did he get cold so easily?

Jack watched the rat, and slowly his head started to tilt with curiosity. His bangs covered his eyes as he stared down at the rat. Slowly, he reached down, picking up the cage with bare hands (well, hand. One hand had the M.A.N.I. glove on) and alarming the rat. It scurried back and forth as Jack placed the cage on the bed beside him.

"Do you know?" Jack asked, glaring down at the rat. "Do you know why I'm the one that's immune?! Why me?"

The rat looked at him and sniffed. Jack heard something crash, and he jumped, grabbing a flashlight and waving it around. The beds around him casted shadows over the tile floor. Sandy still laid asleep. Jack slowly looked back down at the rat.

Then, he reached his hand towards the cage.

* * *

"It's amazing that you saved Ja- I mean, my cousin, in time," Bunny said, walking alongside Julia. They had marched up the broken escalator to the second level to find batteries and anything else useful. "I can't imagine what would happen if he was infected." _How would the_ _mission to_ _find Thomas Overland continue?_

"It was Brigadier General Sanderson who saved him," Julia said modestly. "All I did was worry."

"You're showing concern," Bunny shrugged. "That's a good way to prove you're trustworthy."

Julia thought for a moment. "You know...you're right!"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe the Doctor will start to trust me more!" Julia exclaimed with excitement. "Do you think?"

"Julia, she trusts you..." Bunny sighed. "She just comes off...paranoid."

"Maybe I'm the paranoid one," Julia rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, I'm the one who saw her talking to the rat and thought that it was something bad..."

"That's a natural reaction, Julia," Bunny said.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Julia rubbed her face. "I think there's something suspicious going on with the Doctor but at the same time all I want is to be trusted and liked by her." Julia stared up at the ceiling. "Jeez, I make it sound like I'm some high school girl and not a Captain of the military."

Bunny chuckled. "They're very similar environments."

Julia laughed as well, playfully nudging Bunny with her elbow. "Thanks. For stickin' with me, you know? I know I don't exactly fit in here."

"I know a thing or two about not fitting in, sheila," Bunny chuckled.

"That's right..." Julia thought for a moment. "You're the youngest Guardian, aren't you?"

"Significantly," Bunny nodded, chuckling. "Luckily, we've had the little anklebiter with us to take some of the babying offa me."

"You mean Kyle?"

Bunny nodded. "That's my...cousin."

"He seems nice. Close to the Doctor." Julia paused for a moment. "Poor thing, with the knife wound to the thigh." Julia shook her head. "I wonder how that could have happened. I never knew Nightmares to be the weapon-carrying type."

"You know what, you're right," Bunny thought for a moment. "And I would have heard of a Nightmare using a weapon, I'm a Guardian for Pete's sake!" He rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess."

 _Or he's lying_ , Julia added mentally. _But then how would he have gotten that wound?!_

* * *

"M.A.N.I., take a message for President Jamie Bennett," North said into his black glove, using the other hand to wave the flashlight around, studying his surroundings.

 **Yeeees sir!**

"This is Major General North, Guardian of the Russian and European Divisions," North said. "I'm contacting you from inside a South American department store, one of the suspected areas of Thomas Overland's laboratory. It's been three days since we've started the mission in South America. Captain Julia Hart, under the Guardian of the South American Divisions, is assisting us through pure coincidence. We ran into her at Fort Surrven when we discovered it was taken over by the infected yellow eyes. Jackson Overland's identity has not been revealed to her just yet, she believes he is Kyle Bunnymund, but I should let you know that, due to convenience for the mission, she has been made aware of who we are searching for. In other news, we've abandoned the Sleigh in the woods to take a closer look at our surroundings in search for the address 135 Prade Calle, a clue the Doctor and the Captain found back at Fort Surrven. Jackson Overland was injured by a knife slash to the left thigh, but the Doctor is treating him as best she can, and it hasn't hindered our mission as of yet. Other than the address to Thomas Overland's lab and the password to get inside, we have not found any other clues to his disappearance. That is all for now."

* * *

 **Though North gave a rather detailed recap to the president, I'll still do the usual.**

 **Recap: Jack's leg is super bad. Huge gash in his thigh. The next 135 Prado Calle lead them to some department store, presumably Nightmare-free, but Jack hears a suspicious crash and then...reaches for the rat cage?! DUN DUN DUN! Also more Julia and Bunny bonding.**

 **ForeverFrost:** I'm glad you like it! I think Rise of the Guardian AUs are awesome too n.n I'm glad you think I'm keeping them in character, I don't want to stray from their typical personalities despite being in the military. Thank you so much, your review meant I a lot! n.n

 **JaDe In NighT:** Haha yeah but Sandy hasn't told the others yet n.n And yeah, I'll put the translations below:

 _ **TRANSLATIONS FOR LAST CHAPTER'S SPANISH:**_

The man: "NO SE MUEVAN!" "DON'T MOVE!" (He was pointing the gun at them)

Julia: "Hola. No le haremos daño. Nosotros amigos!" (She's speaking in broken Spanish since it isn't her native language)

The man: "Hablan espanol?" "Do you speak Spanish?"

Julia: "Un pequeno." "A little." "Por favor, baja el arma." "Please, lower your gun."

The man: "Y usted." (roughly) "You too."

Julia: "Mis amigos y yo necessitan hablar con usted. Hay una mas a fuera." "My friends and I need to talk with you. There's one more outside."

North comes in

Julia: "No se preocupe. El es un amigo, tambien." "Don't worry, he is a friend as well."

The man: "Usted eres en el ejercito?" "You are in the army?"

Julia: "Si. Ellos estan una organizacion para pelear los ojos amarillos." "Yes. They are an organization for fighting against the yellow eyes."

Julia: "Tiene un sotano, senor?" "Do you have a basement, sir?"

 **I was too lazy to put accents on the words this time, but you get it. Let me know if any of the spanish is wrong (Julia's is supposed to be a bit off, or overly formal.)**

 **THANKS FOR READING GUYS! REVIEW IF YOU LIKE AND WANT TO SEE MORE!**


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